Geoff Herzog

Dozens of Cleveland Avenue residents attended the borough council's January 17 meeting, in which a new council member and police officer were also sworn-in.

Two real estate developers have proposed to build on abandoned industrial properties formerly used by lighting manufacturer Illuminating Experiences and aerospace giant Midland Ross (later a division of Honeywell Corporation).

In the wake of November's store vandalism, members of Highland Park's Jewish community packed the council chambers on December 6, in the body's first public session since September. Community leaders and representatives expressed thanks to municipal authorities, particularly to the police, for the prompt investigation and arrest in the case. Steven Rizco, Chief of Police, was in attendance.

Among the 21 resolutions approved during the session, mayor-elect Councilmember Gary Minkoff sponsored a designation of November 29 as the borough's Religious Tolerance observance.

The four Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs) in Highland Park have rejected an advertisement by Family Kickboxing Academy (FKA) in the 2011-2012 Friend Finder. The PTO's annual contact directory for the public school district is distributed at no charge, under sponsorship of dozens of local businesses and families.

Michael Juliar, a longtime PTO volunteer who had designed and produced the Friend Finder for over 12 years, resigned after his written appeal of the decision was rejected.

“I’m trying to distance myself because I found it ugly," Juliar said. "It casts a bad light on the community for reacting this way."

Albert Valeri, a frequent bicyclist in the New Brunswick/Highland Park area, was ticketed this summer on the New Brunswick side of the Albany Street Bridge for riding on the sidewalk.

The ticket was soon dismissed by the city prosecutor, though; it turns out the New Brunswick ordinance that prohibited sidewalk riding was deleted last year, during a regulation overhaul.

In New Brunswick, there is talk of reinstating the sidewalk ban. But Highland Park has no ordinance governing where cyclists should ride, according to a borough patrolman who requested anonymity.

On Tuesday, October 4, the Highland Park borough council approved numerous resolutions, largely addressing grant applications and execution. Only a resolution to revise the payment agreement with municipal engineers CME Associates met with dissent.

While stating that he has known CME for many years and generally respects them, Councilmember Gary Minkoff said he was "disappointed they couldn't better estimate their costs or deal with the issues causing (increased) expense" on the repair work done on North Third Avenue at Montgomery Street.