Letters
Couple opposes animal hospital expansion

We read with much dismay the April 13 article in the Examiner titled "Animal hospital seeking to expand gains support." We are extremely opposed to the construction of a new 16,000-square-foot hospital facility adjacent to the current 4,000-square-foot Veterinary Surgical and Diagnostic Specialists (VSDS) animal hospital that already exists. In reality, this will make it a 20,000-square-foot facility, which would be five times the size permitted by neighborhood commercial zoning.

First of all, the first sentence in this article mentions that 700 people have signed a petition in favor of the expansion. Are most of the 700 people residents of Millstone? We don't think so. We have talked with many of our friends and neighbors in Millstone Township who also oppose this. In all honesty, we know of no one in Millstone in favor of this expansion.

Millstone does not need a 16,000-square-foot building constructed in its township. We have two other excellent veterinarian emergency facilities located approximately 30 minutes away. They are Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and Garden State Veterinary Specialists, both located in nearby Tinton Falls. We have used both of these clinics for emergency procedures and have only praise for the doctors and technicians that work there. We have also used the VSDS clinic in Millstone.

As many of you can recall, a few years back the Board of Adjustments did not approve the building of a 40,000-square-foot supermarket to be built at the same site. The outcry of the Millstone citizens to stop the construction of the supermarket was overwhelming. We are sure we will experience that same outcry again. The people did not want such a large facility along with the extra traffic that it would bear.

When Dr. Stobie originally built his facility, he knew the area was neighborhood commercial zoned permitting a maximum space of 4,000 square feet. Now that his business has grown, he wants Millstone to change the rules. Our suggestion to the Board of Adjustments is: Let's not change the rules of Millstone to suit the needs of Dr. Stobie. If he has outgrown his present facility, then he has the right to relocate to a location where the zoning permits such a large building. He states in the Examiner that he sees 300 animals each week and may see even more if the business expands. Of course he expects to see more animals; that is why he is expanding, which will only result in more traffic.

Keep Millstone rural and free of huge buildings and structures. That is why many of us moved here: to distance ourselves from these types of larger businesses, stores, etc., that will only add more out-of-town traffic. We firmly believe if Dr. Stobie files his application before the Zoning Board of Adjustments for an additional 16,000-square-foot structure - and if approval is granted - Pandora's box will then be opened to more businesses seeking similar approvals that will adversely affect the people living in that part of town.

Bob and Betty Bailey

Clarksburg section of Millstone Township

Support sought for baseball training center

Spring is setting in, and baseball and softball season has started here in Millstone. It has always been a challenge to find a place to take our kids for batting practice since there are no batting cages in the area.

This year, things have a chance to be different. A local family is attempting to open a baseball and softball training center with batting cages in Millstone. Often, Millstone is at a disadvantage because there is no place for our kids to get ready for the season or to practice in the winter. Finally, we have the chance to be more competitive with surrounding towns that can accommodate indoor team practices.

Unfortunately, there have been serious issues with the township, which is holding up the facility and may even stop the training center from opening. Information about the facility is available at www.extrainnings-millstone.com. Please show support at the Planning Board meeting on April 26, and help to improve local recreation opportunities for our young athletes in Millstone.

Barbara Ballo

Millstone

Conservation group sees hope in Corzine's budget

For the last few years, balancing New Jersey's budget has meant a lot of hard choices among competing interests. The old advice, "Follow the money," gives a clue about our government's priorities. This year, Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed budget continues to safeguard New Jersey's environment.

For example, the best news is what's not in the budget - any funding to implement the "Fast Track" law that could allow continued sprawl growth across New Jersey. And the budget for the first time includes $40 million for capital improvements to state parks, forests, wildlife management areas and historic sites around the state. Halting the deterioration of public treasures is a smart investment that will yield public enjoyment as well as tourism dollars.

The budget also contains state matching funds needed to qualify for federal state wildlife grants.

Looking for ways to close a huge budget gap, Corzine's budget proposes a "Gas Guzzler Fee" - a one-time registration fee of 0.4 percent on new cars that get less than 19 miles per gallon, and on luxury vehicles costing more than $45,000. More important than the revenue the fee generates, is the potential reduction in air pollution and the incentive to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles!

The proposed budget will also help protect water resources, including $5 million for watershed restoration projects that address pollution, sedimentation and watershed restoration.

Finally, Corzine's proposed budget recognizes the urgency in protecting our state's drinking water supply. A water tax, which is the subject of proposed legislation, of 4 cents per 1,000 gallons will be collected from water utilities and used to leverage $100 million in bonds. However, under the current proposal, 75 percent of the new funding would go toward infrastructure projects, and only 25 percent to land acquisition. For the funds to achieve the desired effect - securing our drinking water - they would best be used to acquire land that protects our watersheds and provides natural groundwater filtration. The money must not be used for new sewer lines which enable more sprawl into undeveloped areas, defeating the purpose of the tax.

Corzine's budget demonstrates his commitment to the environment, even under circumstances that often tempt governors to consider deep cuts to environmental programs. His proposals make good sense - both environmental and fiscal.

Contact me at info@njconservation.org or visit www.njconservation.org for more information about conserving New Jersey's precious land and natural resources.

Fred Feiner

communications director

New Jersey Conservation Foundation

Far Hills

Parents need the proper skills to prevent child abuse

Monmouth families need our help. Stories about child abuse appear in the headlines when a particularly depraved incident captures our attention, such as the tragic events of a 5-week-old baby recently shaken to death in Mount Laurel, and the horrible death of 7-year-old Nix Marie Brown in New York City.

Thousands of other children will suffer in silence, out of the spotlight of the media. Child abuse happens in every community, even where material resources are plentiful. The long-term effects of emotional abuse and cruelty know no boundaries.

The Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) received a total of 2,176 referrals for intervention and services in Monmouth County during 2003, the most recent year for which statistics are available. They received an additional 3,294 referrals which they categorized as family problems.

Much of this suffering is avoidable when parents are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to raise their children. Parents must be able to find the information and support they need.

For this reason, I am proud to serve as a volunteer director on the Board of Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey (PCA-NJ). Each day, the staff and volunteers of PCA-NJ work in communities to provide parents with the resources they require to raise their children.

Nationally, April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, symbolized by the blue ribbon. I wear a blue ribbon to display my support for New Jersey's children and hope my fellow readers will do the same. To obtain a blue ribbon or for more information about Prevent Child Abuse-NJ, please call (800) CHILDREN or e-mail info@PreventChild-AbuseNJ.org.

Maybe someday we'll see headlines about communities supporting families.

Joel L. Krinksy

president

Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey

Board of Directors

Manalapan

Group praises Corzine's efforts to alleviate poverty

Gov. [Jon] Corzine should be commended for including in his budget proposal several first steps addressing the "moral responsibility" to alleviate severe poverty in New Jersey. Among these key initial anti-poverty initiatives are raising the threshold at which married couples first have to pay income tax to $25,000, and for individuals to $15,000, and lessening payments for people up to $30,000 and $20,000 respectively, reducing the tax burden on New Jersey's 200,000 lowest-income payers. He also wants to expand the state rental assistance program for low-income tenants, to provide affordable housing for an additional 1,500 families. He also proposes to combat hunger through $3 million for emergency food providers and $1 million for food storage systems in food distribution centers, providing greater relief to the 1.6 million state residents who do not have enough to eat.

The plan also includes continuing to expand health insurance for impoverished children, by committing $5 million to enroll an additional 50,000 children in FamilyCare by next June and dedicating an additional $7 million to capital costs and improvements for homeless shelters, the last resort and haven for far too many New Jerseyans.

Equally important are decisions not to cut several essential programs, perhaps most notably key Medicaid services and child welfare programs. These benefits provide a critical shield for very vulnerable state residents.

Two proposed steps, however, cause us great concern. The proposal to require Medicaid recipients to pay up to $10 monthly in co-payments for prescriptions will put necessary medicines out of reach for many individuals and families, most of whom have incomes of only a few thousand dollars a year. Second, the proposed sales tax increase will fall most heavily on those state residents with the lowest incomes, offsetting much of the value of the income tax reduction. While we applaud the decision not to extend the sales tax to food or clothing, we would urge that some way be found to exclude New Jersey's least wealthy people from the regressive sales tax.

Finally, we must note two additional critical anti-poverty steps which must be at the top of the state's agenda in future years. First is the need to increase cash public assistance grants, last raised in 1987. Failure of these grants to keep pace with inflation means these last-resort temporary assistance programs provide inadequate financial support, forcing people to go without basic necessities, accelerating homelessness and creating great pressure on other public and private services and programs to somehow pick up the slack. And low-wage workers who care for our most vulnerable in public facilities and community settings must receive compensation that at least keeps pace with inflation, so that they may avoid homelessness themselves.

While these additional measures must be taken, we applaud the governor's efforts to keep New Jersey's most vulnerable people in his sights as he seeks to right the financial ship of state.

Melville D. Miller Jr.

The Rev. Bruce Davidson

Miller is president of Legal Services of New Jersey and Davidson is director of the Lutheran Office of Government Ministries. They are co-conveners of the Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey.