COURT CALLS FOR FAST ACTION ON SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION
A far-reaching ruling by the State Supreme Court today (Monday, December 19) will force the state to move quickly toward paying to build new schools in New Jersey’s poor Abbott urban districts.

The Court mandated that the 31 Abbott districts must report to the state on their needs by January 15, 2006. The state then must calculate by February 15, 2006, how much it will cost to complete all necessary school construction projects in those districts.

State officials had argued that it would take beyond February to get together estimates of school building costs. Today’s high court decision was hailed by the Education Law Center as a victory to accelerate school construction projects in the poorer districts.

Joan Ponessa, research director for the Education Law Center, said the cost of construction is going up by 15 percent a year. The state’s original $6 billion has run out and the Supreme Court ruling will push the state into fast action to replenish the funding.

BEACHEM NAMED TO CORZINE TRANSITION TRANSPORTATION TEAM
Philip K. Beachem, President of the New Jersey Alliance for Action, has been appointed to Governor-elect Corzine’s transition Transportation Policy Group. The group will be meeting over the next several weeks to make a series of recommendations to the Governor-elect. Leading the group as co-chairs will be Ray Pocino, Vice President & Regional Manager of the Laborers International Union of North America; Louis Gambaccini, former Executive Director of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers and former New Jersey Commissioner of Transportation; Pamela Fischer, Vice President of Public Affairs, AAA New Jersey; and Ajay Singh, Chief of Sustainability and Environmental Management for New York Metro Transportation Authority.

ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT LIST AVAILABLE
The proposed 2006 water and sewer construction project list is available from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust, 609-219-8600. The list includes construction of treatment plants, pumping stations, pipe work, combined sewer overflow abatements, landfill closures and brownfield remediation, with a total value of some $800 million.

PENNSAUKEN WINS DEVELOPMENT COURT BATTLE
Pennsauken, for the first time in which a municipality has used eminent domain to replace a developer with another developer, has won a significant court decision. Superior Court Judge Francis J. Orlando wrote that Pennsauken was within its rights to acquire 140 acres of private land owned by Vineland Construction Company and turn to Cherokee Investment Partners of North Carolina, which has proposed a 600-acre development on Pennsauken’s Delaware River waterfront, including Petty’s Island. The Vineland firm said it would appeal.

TWO-THIRDS OF SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BONDS DEFEATED
New Jersey voters last week rejected almost two-thirds of school construction bond issues- the highest number since 2000. Twelve projects were defeated on referendum and voters approved seven.

MAYORS SUPPORT GAS TAX INCREASE
New Jersey’s mayors strongly support a gas tax increase to keep the State Transportation Trust Fund viable. Of those who responded to a survey by the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, 70 percent of the mayors approved a gas tax hike if the money was dedicated to the Trust Fund. Another boost came from the state’s largest newspaper, The Star-Ledger, in an editorial headlined “An Inevitable Gas Tax Hike.”

WOOD-RIDGE DEVELOPMENT APPROVED
Wood-Ridge has approved a major development in the Bergen County community on the site of the old Curtiss-Wright Corporation. The program, Westmont Station, will include a new train station, a middle school, ballfields, a retail center and 737 new housing units. Somerset Development has been named to revitalize the site that has been blighted since Curtiss-Wright closed its factory in the 1980s.

CORZINE TRANSITION NEWS
Tom Shea, who served as chief of staff in Corzine’s Senate office has been named as Chief of Staff in the new Governor’s office.
Stuart Rabner, a career lawman, has been named by Governor-elect Corzine as his Chief Counsel. Rabner is currently chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s office.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Dennis Doll will become President and CEO of Middlesex Water Company on January 1, 2006. Doll, who joined the company two years ago as Executive Vice President, will succeed Dennis Sullivan, who is retiring.
Diane Brake, President of the Regional Planning Partnership, received the Distinguished Service Award of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association.
Charles V. Truillo, P.E., has joined the firm of DMJM+Harris as Chief Engineer. He spent the majority of his 30-year engineering career with the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

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