Alleged Carjackers Caught, New Town Center Top News This Week

Pair Wanted in Carjacking Spree Caught in Clark, Chief Says

Two men believed to be involved in a series of carjackings early Tuesday morning that began in Woodbridge were apprehended in Clark, police said.According to Clark Police Chief Alan Scherb, at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, a resident spotted two men running from a vehicle parked on Florence Drive and called police. Police officers spotted the men walking about a block away and apprehended them, Scherb said. 

Clark's New Town Center Plans Move Forward

Clark's plan to create a new town center on the 28-acre former U.S. Gypsum paper plant may be moving forward sooner than later, as a developer is in the process of submitting a proposal for the site. Clark Business Administrator John Laezza told Patch that a developer has come forward with a plan that is currently being vetted by Township Engineer Richard O'Connor. Laezza expects the planning board will hear the site plan at its August meeting. 

Property Tax Reassessment an Issue of Fairness, Garwood Councilman Says

Garwood Councilman Jim Mathieu urged his fellow council members to consider a borough-wide property tax reassessment at Tuesday's Garwood council meeting. "If we’re going to have property taxes as the basis for funding Garwood as a municipality, then we have to have an agreement that those taxes be based on a value somewhat rationally related to market value," said Mathieu, pointing to the fact that the borough has not had a reassessment in more than 30 years. "It puts a burden on a small number of properties and subsidizes one set of homeowners and business owners at the expense of another."

Eagle Scout Project Helps Control Clark's Mosquito Population

Christoper Makosiej, 17, a Clark resident and 2013 Arthur L. Johnson grad, saw the rampant mosquito population in Clark and the pesticides sprayed to control them and wondered if there was an environmental fix that could help reduce their population naturally.  

Garwood to Pay for Pointe's Fire Hydrants

Garwood Council will reimburse residents at the Pointe condominiums for the costs associated with operating their fire hydrants, according to a resolution passed at Tuesday's meeting. The cost is roughly $80 every three months, said Council President and Finance Chairwoman Sara Todisco. The decision represents an olive branch extended by the borough after a rocky relationship between the two parties: Just a year ago, Garwood won a lawsuit filed by the Pointe over whether the borough should provide snow removal for the community.