Council members spar over expired grant offer BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer MATAWAN - Democrats and Republicans are blaming each other over a lost opportunity to collect an $85,000 grant for a long-abandoned project. At the July 17 Borough Council meeting, resident Agnes Falk criticized Democratic Councilman Joseph "Bud" Mullaney for allegations he recently made in a local paper blaming the previous administration for failing to collect an $85,000 county grant that was awarded to the town in 2004 for improvements to Lake Lefferts. The grant expired in November. On Monday, fellow Democrat Mayor Mary Aufseeser said the allegations are false and were most likely made for political reasons. "Mr. Mullaney made the allegation that this money was lost, but I don't think Mr. Mullaney knew all that transpired," Aufseeser said. "I don't think it's a problem but I think someone was stirring the pot," Aufseeser continued. "It's an election year. But if you're going to point fingers, you really have to have all your facts before you start pointing." On Monday, Mullaney pointed out that "this happened in the previous majority's tenure," but he shifted blame away from the local Republicans and toward Republican Freeholder Robert Clifton, a former Matawan mayor. "Brian Valentino, who was the administrator in 2005, was requesting a change in the scope of the project and it was denied by the Monmouth County Park System," Mullaney said. "And his letter went to Freeholder Clifton. So Matawan did not get the money and the lakefront did not receive attention, and that's where the project died." Republican Councilman Paul Buccellato reacted to Mullaney's initial charges at the meeting, using three years' worth of paperwork as a political boomerang to blame the local Democrats. Buccellato pointed to a stack of letters written from the Monmouth County Park System to present-day Borough Administrator Fred Carr and copied to the mayor, arguing both individuals were given several opportunities to collect the funds and/or ask for an extension on the matter. "If there was any question regarding the letters, why didn't they ask the three council members who were there from previous years?" Buccellato said on Monday. "If you don't know something, why didn't you just ask?" Back in 2003, the borough began planning a design overhaul for Lake Lefferts. The plan included a summer stage for concerts, new paths, improved access, parking and other amenities. In order to finance the plan, a $900,000 low interest loan was supplied by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres Program. The $85,000 county grant was meant to offset the loan. But after the public reacted strongly against the pricey plan, the borough scaled back its design. In September 2005, the county wrote a letter, saying changes to the plan "are not permissible under the procedures of the program." "From what I recall, unless we went through with what they wanted us to," Aufseeser said on Monday, "we weren't really eligible for the grant." Still, letters arrived from the county up until November 2006, when the grant expired. Why didn't the borough ever write back? "Because the letter was quite clear, in my book," Carr said on Monday. "They denied the change in scope," Carr said. "You can only use the money for what you applied for. You can't have a change in scope." Buccellato said Carr should have tried harder to keep the money. He could have written back to the county asking what could be done to maintain the grant, Buccellato said. "If it was dead in the water, why did they keep writing us letters?" Buccellato asked. "He is correct," Carr said. "We could write all the letters we want, but they're not going to [affect] the change in scope." At the meeting, Buccellato called for an investigation into the matter. "Fred went through the files to see what was there," Aufseeser said. "That would be the scope of his investigation." "I don't know who should be held accountable at this point," Buccellato said. "But letters were copied to the mayor as well." The mayor supported Carr, saying he did his job properly. "The man is very organized and I'm very lucky to have him down there," Aufseeser said. Carr said the grant money was unusable, no matter what, because it was contingent on allowing all county residents, not just those from Matawan, to use the park. The same can be said for the state Green Acres loan, Carr explained. The bulk of residents' complaints, Carr said, was that they did not want to encourage outsiders to use Lake Lefferts. This is the main reason why the plan was scaled back in the first place, Carr explained. "As much as I hate giving back money," Carr continued, "there's no reason to hold onto it when you know you can give it back and let someone else use it." "Plus the Recreation Commission exploded last year," added Carr. And although some minor improvement to Lake Lefferts have been made over the past few years - canoes were fixed, and a new roof and alarm system were installed - the 2004 plan has not been discussed since "it died" in 2005, Carr said. "I don't think it was anything that was lost through negligence," Aufseeser said. "I think the council in 2005 changed their plans due to public input and the plans were never changed back." Buccellato, Carr and Aufseeser all agree the matter was a political stunt. Mullaney said he did it to protect the residents of Matawan. "I don't want history to repeat itself," Mullaney said on Monday. "I'm looking at the situation today. We're working on other grants, and this cannot, in no way, shape or form, happen to the people who live in Matawan." "I think it's an attack to discredit people that may be running in this year's election," said Buccellato, a Republican mayoral candidate. " 'Tis the season," Carr said.