Gas Station Generators, Next Charter Day to be Discussed This Week

Consider it another possible lesson learned from Sandy: The Township Committee is scheduled to have a discussion this week on whether to require local gas stations to equip themselves with generators adequate to pump gas during a power outage.

The Township Committee, scheduled to meet at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, has on its agenda the topic of whether adopt an ordinance to require gas stations in the township to installed natural gas generators that would be adequate to pump gas. The suggestion came in the form of a letter last week from former Bernards Township Engineer and Planner Peter Messina.

A lingering gas shortage following Sandy's arrival late last October presented yet another challenge to households without power and attempts to operate municipalities following the storm.

Messina said in his Jan. 8 letter to the township that he had contacted William Dressel of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities  concerning introducing a Bill that required all gas stations to have a backup generator. "This simple requirement would have stemmed a lot of the frustrations and anxiety about just getting to work."

Messina said Dressel thought the proposal was "a great idea" and sent it along to State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-district 25).

Messina said he thought perhaps Bernards Township officials might want to pass along the proposal to their legislators and also consider an ordinance requiring gas stations in the township to retrofit their stations I thought that 1) Bernards politicians could strongly pass this idea onto their legislators and 2) pass a land use ordinance requiring all gas stations that retrofit by installing natural gas generators that are of an adequate size to pump gas.

The letter is on the correspondence section of the agenda. The meeting is to be held at the town hall at 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge.

Also coming up this week:

• The Environmental Commission is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. on Monday at town hall. Among the topics for discussion on the meeting's agenda are concerns about lawn pesticides; indoor air quality in schools; the cool cities project; and the Millington Quarry application for rehabilitation now before the Planning Board.

• The Bernards Township Sewerage Authority is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at town hall, prior to the Township Committee meeting.

• The Bernards Township Board of Adjustment is scheduled to hold a special meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at town hall.

• Looking forward to spring, the township's Charter Day Committee is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday at town hall.

Meanwhile, the Ridge High School page of the Bernards Township Board of Education website lists the upcoming schedule for quarterly assessments, to begin Jan. 31. In response to an issue that came up at last Monday's school board meeting about whether material that would have been included in the first scheduled quarterly assessments at the high school — canceled because of Sandy — school officials said that all quarterly exams would only include material from the second quarter.