Roosevelt concerned with speeding and vandalism Benjamin Brown memorial toppled over in cemetery BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer Roosevelt ROOSEVELT - The borough seeks more New Jersey State Police patrols in town. The Borough Council discussed getting more police coverage in the borough at its Nov. 6 agenda meeting due to speeding and vandalism concerns. Councilwoman Peggy Malkin reported that recently there were several serious speeding incidents in the borough. She said the incidents occurred on internal roads, not on Rochdale Avenue, which is the main thruway in town. Malkin said the police did get involved in one of the incidents, but that the people involved in the second incident were reluctant to speak about the situation. Councilman Dan Hoffman noted that the police cannot issue tickets based on eyewitness accounts and instead must catch a speeder in action. Hoffman recommended having the state police patrol the borough more often. Hoffman, who is also the chairman of the Public Works Committee, said he looked into the price of movable speed bumps, which could help reduce speeding problems throughout town. He said they cost less than $1,000 each. The moveable bumps would bolt down, he said, and would not be part of the asphalt as are traditional speed bumps. Mayor Beth Battel said that if the borough purchases movable speed bumps, she would like to see them installed on Homestead Lane and Valley Drive. Hoffman noted that people could drive on the road's shoulder or onto lawns to avoid going over the movable bumps. West Windsor, he said, has areas with fixed cones in the middle of the road. The cones have to be placed at regular intervals so "people don't slalom down the road," he said. With regard to recent vandalism in town, Councilwoman Pat Moser said the borough cemetery has again suffered from damage. Over the past year, the council has reported numerous incidents of drinking, drug trafficking and minor acts of vandalism at the cemetery. In the most recent act of vandalism, the urn commemorating town founder Benjamin Brown was toppled over, according to Moser. Hoffman said he drove through the cemetery at 11 p.m. on a recent Saturday and saw two cars there. The presence of his car prompted the other vehicles to leave, he said. Councilman Michael Hamilton suggested that residents drive through the cemetery to discourage people from using it as a hangout. "It doesn't take much, just headlights," Hamilton said, adding that at least half the time he goes to the cemetery, he sees a vehicle parked there. "It's a hangout, usually [for] people not from in town," he said. Hamilton said he has taken license plate numbers of vehicles he has seen there and has told young people in cars that they would get in trouble if they returned to the cemetery. "If people see anything out of the ordinary, they should report it to the state police," he said. Resident Bert Ellentuck, of Homestead Lane, also reported some vandalism on his street. He said that on Oct. 30, which was Mischief Night, his car withstood some damage. When asked if any other recent incidents of vandalism had been reported, Ellentuck's son, Councilman Jeff Ellentuck, said that a Lake Drive residence's window was broken on Halloween.