Middletown officials take gov't on the road Park, flooding issues aired at community forum BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN - Any issue, no matter how big or small, was open for discussion at the first of four neighborhood meetings held at Fairview Elementary School on March 13. Topics ranging from police using their personal days, how the township works with the school district, to smaller issues such as leaf pickup and what time the lights are shut off at the baseball fields were aired. "We get a lot out of these meetings," Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger said. "It means a lot to the town that people are here telling us their issues." All five Township Committeemembers, the township planner, chief of police, director of parks and recreation and other township officials were on hand to answer any concerns the residents raised. One issue that led to a long discussion during the hour-and-a-half meeting was the state of Schultz Park on Fairview Drive. Middletown resident Maureen Page, who said she normally wouldn't speak at a township meeting, brought photos of the park and the deteriorating condition there. "I'm going to pass these pictures around so that everyone can see them," Page said. "I want to get people as riled up about this as I am." She said that in 2005 she wrote a letter to the Township Committee and Director of Parks and Recreation Gregg Silva, who she said promptly responded to her inquiry, but Page said that three years later she has not seen any repairs made. Page wants to see a cement walkway around the park so that people can go for a walk, as well as repairs done to the swings. "I've now reached a point where I am bringingmy grandchildren to the park and I want to see them playing in a better environment," Page said. "I think the township, since they are looking at their budget, can find a way to repair this park." Another complaint brought in front of the Township Committee was about flooding in the backyards of residents of Maida Terrace and how the problem will be addressed. A small pond created by the flooding, which has been named "Lake Larry" by the residents, is a problem that the residents are looking to get fixed. Scharfenberger said that he would slip into "Dr. Scharfenberger" mode to give a history of the area that is having the flooding problems. Scharfenberger, an archaeologist, said that the area residents were describing has had problems for many years when it comes to flooding. "It's how the land there is positioned that is the problem," Scharfenberger said. "We will take your concerns and the information we already have on the area so that we can fix it." Several times, Scharfenberger passed out his business card so that residents could call or e-mail him with their concerns. One resident asked the committee if they have contact with the school district. Committeeman Sean Byrnes said that he and Scharfenberger visited the school district recently and discussed the interlocal agreements between the two entities. "Basically, we are trying to get our number guys to meet with their number guys so that we can work together," Byrnes said. "It's in both of our best interests to work together for our town." Committeeman Thomas Wilkens agreed with Byrnes' assessment. "We both have different budgets but in the end we all pay the taxes," Wilkens said. "Working together benefits both of us." What has become a controversial topic - police officers taking days off during the Super Bowl - was also brought up. The issue raised was that 13 of the 16 officers on duty the evening of the Super Bowl broadcast took a vacation day, which meant the township had to pay the officers who covered their shifts overtime. Police Chief Robert Oches said that what the officers did was not wrong. "It's part of their contract that they can do this," Oches said. "It's not something that was done for the first time. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with what they did, because they have a contract that gives them a certain amount of days off and they can use whenever they want." One resident suggested that when contract negotiations come up again, the department should set a limit of two officers taking off on a certain day. While admitting that it was a sensible idea, the mayor said that it was not feasible. "When it comes to topics like these, we have to deal with an arbitrator," Scharfenberger said. "Normally, the arbitrator rules for the unions against the townships." After the hour and a half, residents had no more questions and Scharfenberger said that the committee is always open to answering questions and that it would be holding three more community forums. The next forum will be on March 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Middletown Senior Center. Scharfenberger reminded residents that he has office hours the first and third Saturday of every month and encouraged them to come. "Normally, I just sit there by myself most of the time and grade term papers," Scharfenberger said. "Feel free to stop by to talk about anything."