Clinton Township Newsletter

5 N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 7 Joseph F TriniTy sTeven D Farsiou richarD J Delello 47 Maple Ave., Suite 7, Flemington, NJ 08822 908.824.7265 | www.TrinityandFarsiou.com • PERSONAL INJURY • EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION • CRIMINAL/MUNICIPAL COURT • ANTI-BULLYING LAW • GENERAL CIVIL LITIGATION • Before-School Programs • After-School Programs • Kindergarten Wrap-Around • Holiday Full-Day Programs • Vacation Full-Day Programs • Vacation Full-Day Programs • Summer Camps • Clubs • Special Enrichments • Special Events Dickens' Days and More in Downtown Clinton! Come visit downtown Clinton for the Annual Dickens' Days Celebration where once again the downtown turns back time and transforms Clinton into a beautiful Victorian Village beginning Friday, November 24, through Sunday, November 26! Enjoy a holiday celebration with carriage rides, caroling, story-telling and daily holiday performances. Charles Dickens and Scrooge will be strolling the streets of downtown in all their finery for your entertainment, along with Father Christmas. The town will be decorated for the holidays, with toy soldiers on the famous Clinton Bridge, holiday greens and twinkling lights. Horse drawn carriage rides, with participants in full Victorian costume, offer a glimpse into the past. Musical performances of all genres will be performed by local artists and music groups throughout the weekend. The lighting of the Community's Christmas Tree will take place on Main Street on Friday, November 24 at 6:30 pm. Join us for caroling and along with the lighting of the Community Tree, while we wait for Santa's arrival on the fire truck! Santa's workshop will once again be located on the terrace of the Hunterdon Art Museum, which will be displayed throughout the holiday season for all to enjoy. Other dates to remember: The Annual Clinton Christmas Parade takes place on December 1 at 7:00 pm and late night shopping on Candlelight Night is Thursday, December 14, from dusk until 9:00 pm. All of these events are sponsored by The Guild of Clinton. To find out more, visit: www.ClintonGuild.com. Over the years, via our voter approved Open Space Tax levy, the Township has acquired more than 1,000 acres of open space land to preserve and protect environmentally significant areas from development and provide recreational opportunities for our residents. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers and grants from the State, trail systems have recently been created on the 224 acre Marookian/ Kaufelt property and the 255 acre Windy Acres property. But additional work is required to make all of our preserved parcels fully accessible and useful to the public. For example, the bridge over the South Branch of the Rockaway Creek at Windy Acres has deteriorated and requires repair or replacement at significant expense to provide access to the property. On the Marookian/Kaufelt parcel, an on-site parking area is needed to accommodate hikers and other users. The need for these kinds of improvements underscores a requirement to transition from simply acquiring additional land with Open Space Tax levy funds to developing a master plan to guide us in how we use and maintain the open space we already have. As an enabling step towards this transition, the Township Council has approved the following referendum question which will appear on the November general election ballot: "Without changing the amount of the Clinton Township Open Space Tax rate, shall Clinton Township be authorized to use up to fifty (50%) percent of the Open Space Tax levy for the development and maintenance of lands or interests therein acquired for recreation and conservation purposes?" If approved, this vote will NOT increase the Open Space tax levy. Rather, it will allow the Township to use a portion of the current Open Space tax levy for improvements to our open space properties. This would provide the Township with the ability to fund projects as mentioned above with no increase to our overall tax levy while still providing the flexibility to acquire additional land as needed. This question enjoys the strong support of Mayor and Council and we urge you to come to the polls to vote and to vote yes on this question. Respectfully, John Higgins, Mayor w w w. C l i n t o n T W P N J . c o m A L e t t e r f r o m John Higgins, Mayor, Clinton Township, NJ C L I N T O N T OW N S H I P M U N I C I PA L N E W S n Reach Over 14,000 Local Consumers Monthly n Change Your Message Monthly n Have Your Ad Designed – Free! n Run a Small Article (about 150 words) – Free! n Have your ad linked to your website at: www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com email us at: Want your message seen by over 14,000 readers? When you advertise in the Clinton Township Newsletter you can: ctnl@comcast.net

• Cover