Your Weekly Update: A Week in Review of the Town Council

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According to the video shared on the Town Council YouTube page, on April 25th, the Board of Education presented the budget for the 2023-2024 school year. The mayor and council of West Windsor and Plainsboro attended the meeting. Many individuals discussed full day kindergarten and it was taken into consideration in the budget. To watch the meeting, click HERE.

April 29th was Arbor day and there were projects on recycling, native plants, and rain gardens that the environmental commission was doing in addition to the art contest that was held.

The town council meeting on May 8, started with the Board of Health discussion. Jill Swanson, a public health officer of West Windsor, explained resolution 2023- R100 authorizing the installation of a new emergency generator at the West Windsor Health and Recreation Facility. The need for the generator aids the health department in executing their responsibilities in the event of power outages and hazardous weather. Internet connection is necessary to use computers and work effectively in the office. Vaccine safety is dependent on electric power.

During the pandemic and pre-COVID, vaccines were stored at a refrigerator offsite at the volunteer firehouse. The health staff went to the site daily to check that the vaccine was safe. A storage room at the facility makes it convenient to access the vaccines and could not happen without a generator. Click HERE for more information.

Community levels in our region remain low for COVID-19. The local health department has gone back to looking into investigations for outbreak related cases.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want a home visit because you are ill or not able to step out of your home, call the West Windsor health department at 609-936-8400 and they will reach out to you with their nursing team.

The Town Council later moved on to its business session portion of the meeting. Mayor Marathe and Township Council declared that they acknowledge May as Jewish heritage month forever in their proclamation.

During public comment, John Hinsdale spoke about a post on social media by Council Member, Sonia Gawas. Gawas’s message was, “Town Council has no authority over planning board never did and will never have” all in capital letters. This is a false statement. In response to this message, Hinsdale says, “any changes to the Township Code such as its land use section that codifies zoning decisions recommended by the planning board may only be made by law with the approval of this Council and any legal agreement with the township such as one resulting from planning board decisions on applications by developers may only be entered into by the township with the approval of this Council.” The town attorney’s response was “the town council at this point can’t comment on any particular planning board applications as what we may be referencing is in litigation, the actual authority of the town council to overturn a planning board decision, nope that cannot be done.” To date, The West Windsor Voice has not fact checked these statements.

On May 2nd, the Human Relations Council met. Diversity Day is on May 21st and they want some people to register for making cultural teas and performing open mic acts.

On May 3rd, the Emergency Management Council had a meeting. Traffic improved on Clarksville Rd after its lanes were paved. During Covid and post Covid, parents drove their kids to school. The WWP school district and the police department have asked parents to tell their kids to take the bus in an effort to resolve traffic issues.

On May 8th, a new Starbucks opened off of Route 1 and Meadow Rd. The store includes a community room that can be used by anyone for free. There is a drive through and an outdoor seating area with tables and umbrellas.

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