Shared Service Pact Reached on Roads in The Hills

Bedminster, Bernards decide responsibility for thoroughfares that cross municipalities.

Sometimes good ideas result when you hit a dead end — and that’s literally true for the public works departments of Bedminster and Bernards. Bedminster public works manager John Mantz told the township committee Monday that a shared services agreement was born when Bernards began considering repaving Cobble Lane in The Hills development. When Bernards discovered that a cul de sac at one end of Cobble Lane is half in Bedminster and half in Bernards, Bernards offered to repave all of the cul de sac, including the part in Bedminster. Because many of the roads in The Hills are in both Bedminster and Bernards, Mantz began talking to his counterparts there, and they developed an agreement that would give the responsibility for the road to the …

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House Fire Started With Christmas Tree, Officials Say

Firefighters quickly douse blaze on Benedict Crescent Thursday afternoon.

A fire that began in the living room of an attached home on Benedict Crescent in The Hills on Thursday afternoon apparently began with a burning Christmas tree near a fireplace, police and the fire chief said at the scene. The fire was reported shortly after 2 p.m., and firefighters were preparing to leave the scene shortly after 3 p.m. No one was injured in the incident, Bernards Township Police Lt. Mike Voorhees said. Voorhees said the occupant of the home apparently discovered and reported the fire. He said the exact cause of the fire was under investigation. Along with Liberty Corner Fire Co., the Far Hills-Bedminster Fire Department and Lyons Veterans Administration firefighters responded. Liberty Corner Fire Chief Marc Friedman said …

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Dark Homes in A Sea of Light

Update: Streets still believed to be without power as of Saturday night.

The noon Saturday Bernards Township update for the township's recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy's landing in the area on Oct. 29 put the number of power outages in Bernards at 1,660, down from 2,500 on Friday and about 6,600 a few days earlier. But for the roughly 12 percent of township households without power that may be cold comfort. And it may especially be the case for those for whom neighboring streets — or sometimes even neighbors on their street — have received power, while they haven't. Laurie Albee, who lives at 96 Alder Lane in The Hills, said that about half of her street has power, while others remain without. Albee, who not only has her own family, but also relatives from the shore staying with her, said that workers for…

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The Good and Bad News in The HIlls

Township's most densely populated area also suffered Sandy damage...but there's always pizza.

Bernards Township's most densely populated area, The Hills, experienced damage and downed trees, including a report of a chimney blown off a home. But the Rite-Aid at the Highlands Village Center as well as Veneto Trattoria, also at the center at the top of Allen Road. Veneto was running on a generator, and was giving out free pizza on Tuesday night. The pizzeria and restaurant was scheduled to reopen at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

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Colleen Epple Pine

11:38 am on Sunday, November 4, 2012

Joe and the Veneto's family were our lifeline. The pizza and smiles were warm and friendly every time (which was daily) we came through the door. In fact, when the restaurant was filled to capacity, they brought in 2 more chairs to "make room at the inn" for my senior parents who had not been warm or fed in 24 hours. More than food...they filled our spirits with hope for another day and an …   more ›

Mixed-Use Redevelopment Plan Revised For Current DOT Yard

Site is across from the The Hills development in Bedminster.

Condo Fire Forces Evacuation in Bedminster

Fire on Saturday afternoon apparently started on balcony.

Twelve condominium units have been evacuated in the Bedminster section of The Hills following a Saturday afternoon fire that appears to have started on the balcony of 2 Westcott Road and then spread into the interior and attic. The owner of the home was not home at the time of the blaze, which apparently was reported by a neighbor at 1:44 p.m., said Far Hills-Bedminster fire officials. None of the occupants of the evacuated homes were injured, but two firemen were sent to the hospital with possible heat exhaustion, said Far Hills-Bedminster Fire Chief Brian Bassett. The chief said that investigators aren't sure yet what may have sparked the fire outside on the balcony of the second-floor unit, and he couldn't say what outdoor materials may…

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UPDATE: Months of Study, Mailed Survey, Prior to Possible Hills P.O. Closing

Residents and business cutomers in The Hills will receive mailed surveys asking for input, postal official says Monday.

UPDATED: A U.S. Postal Service study on whether the Village Center Station post office would be among almost 4,000 postal centers that may be closed will take several months to complete, with no definite time frame available at this point, a USPS spokesman said on Monday. When the study is begun, surveys will be mailed to every residential, business and post office box customer served by the Village Center Station, said George B. Flood, corporate communication manager for the USPS northeast area, based in Newark. Input will be collected from the public in other ways, he added. For now, it's business as usual at the Village Center Station post office at 566 Allen Road in The Hills development. In fact, some of those visiting the postal …

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