Manalapan Mayor Susan Cohen Answers Your Questions

Manalapan Mayor Susan Cohen sat down and answered all of the .

Here are Mayor Cohen's answers:

Q: What are we planning on doing about the drug problem at Manalapan High School?

A: Unfortunately, drugs have been a problem in schools since I went to High School over 30 plus years ago. I know that our has been very responsive and our new Chief of Police, Christopher Marsala and all our police officers work as closely with the school as possible. After consulting with the Chief he said that the police hands are tied regarding the enforcement activities in a school setting. The school administration has much more authority to address the issues that that are occurring on school property than does the police department. In July I plan on meeting with Superintendent Sampson, Chief Marsala, and our Police Commissioner, Committeeman Maskowitz to see what steps the school is taking for the new school year.

Q: What are we planning on doing about the numerous fox sightings in the area?

A: After consultation with Health Officer David Richardson, a review of calls to Animal Control so far in 2012 does not support any suggestion that we have a problem with fox in our community more significant than any previous year. 

It is fairly normal in the spring for animal control to receive a couple of calls/week of fox sightings and evidence of a fox family nesting near or on residential properties. this area of Western Monmouth County is very conducive to supporting fox.  The combination of wooded areas, open fields and the residential neighborhoods built along these wooded lands creates a fox’s dream environment. The combination of the woods offering protection, sheds that sit at the quiet rear of larger properties offering nesting opportunities and a near inexhaustible supply of forage – rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, moles and mice – that populate the backyards of our residential areas, fox have adapted well to the human settlement of our area.

The Township does not trap and remove foxes.  This service is available from the private Pest Control/Wildlife Removal service contractors operating in the community.  However, the Township will respond to calls when residents observe a fox that behaves strangely.  Unfortunately, it is very difficult to define “strange behavior” and the Town’s Animal Control Officers are sensitive to this and thus try to respond to any call about certain wildlife, including fox that are out and about during daytime hours.  If it is determined the animal is truly not behaving as expected – overly passive or overly aggressive – then proper steps will be taken to control the situation and remove the animal.

 

Q. Would you consider having the Englishtown Police Department merge with the Manalapan Police Department?

A. There have been discussions in the past and we are always actively looking at ways to share services with our neighboring communities. Anything that can bring a cost savings to Manalapan Township or provide better service is always being investigated.

Q. When will open space plan funds be used to help residents on Birmingham Drive?

A. The Township Committee has submitted applications to the State for those homes on Birmingham Drive that were flooded in the hurricane.  We have yet to be successful with these applications because there are other communities throughout the state that received this funding because they had more severe damage.  Currently our open space tax funds can not be used to purchase flood damaged homes as we do not have enough money in them to be used for this purpose. We have applied for and investigating all possibilities.

Q. What can we do to raise the age to get a drivers’ license?

A. This would be a State Issue that would require a change in the State Law.  Residents can reach out to our local legislators to recommend changes to the law.  This would be a lengthy process, but if the residents of the State of New Jersey feel that they want to increase the age for a drivers’ license they could contact Assemblyman Clifton, Assemblyman Dancer or State Senator Thompson at their local legislative offices to discuss the possibility and procedures necessary to begin such an action.

Q. What can be done to allow the police to patrol private developments?

A. Private Communities with Home Owners Associations need to apply for Title 39 in order for their communities to be patrolled for speeding and other motor vehicle violations. Those associations contain private development roads that are not the responsibility of the Township and as such Township Police are not allowed issue violations on these roadways.  As always our Police Department will respond to any resident in need in any private development. 

If a development was originally set up without Title 39 rights on their roads the Association would need to request this through our Township Clerks’ officer.  Our Township Engineer would then review these private roads and provide the association with a list of speed limits and roadway signs that would be required for these roadways to be in compliance. 

At this time the Knob Hill Association has looked into it, but has not requested Title 39 for all of its development roadways and until it does the Township can not provide patrol of these private roadways.

Q. Why can’t I safely get to the park from Englishtown?

A. Route 522 (Freehold Road) where the entrance to the Manalapan Recreation Center is located is a Monmouth County Roadway.  That roadway does not have sidewalks.  There are designated crosswalk, where allowed, at the intersection of Taylors Mills Road and Route 522.   It is recommended that residents safely get to the park by obeying all traffic rules or park safely in our several parking lots and walk throughout the Park.

Q. Why are the lights turned off in the police secretary’s office in Town Hall? Have you or the business administrator taken a look to see what all the township employees are doing on a daily basis?

A. The windows may make the Police Records area looks like the lights are not on but they are.  We have begun to stagger the hours of our records clerks and the office is open from 8:30 to 4:30 every day. Appointments are available from 7am to 8:30am and from 4:30pm to 7pm so that the residents have extra hours available to pick up the records that they need.

I along with other members of the Township Committee and the Township Administrator frequently sit with all of our Department Heads and review the efficiencies, job activities and performance in every Department.  I am in Town Hall many days of the week and have office hours all day on Thursdays.  I am able to walk around on a daily basis. We have streamlined the operations in every department, but our employees are working harder and more efficiently than they ever have been before. We are truly fortunate to have such dedicated employees.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have a question for Mayor Cohen? She would be happy to answer it!

"I appreciate the opportunity to answer questions from the residents. I would be happy to meet with anyone that would like to discuss any of these issues or any others," Mayor Cohen said. "Residents can either e-mail me directly at  scmanalapancomm@aol.com, call my office at Town Hall at 732-446-8307 or call my cell phone at 732-239-5986.