KHS Students Appointed to Open Space Committee

Two students were selected to serve on the borough's Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC). Vanessa Smalley, a junior, and Steven Pileggi, a sophomore, were sworn in by Mayor Bob Collins on Oct. 20.

The students were chosen out of several applicants to help the committee make recommendations to the borough council. It was originally former Mayor Glenn Sisco's idea to have two slots on the commitee open for high school students, according to Chairperson Carol Sventy.

"The positions are filled by high school students who have an equal vote on the committee, which is a little strange when they first come on because we have people of varying ages on the committee and sometimes it's a little intimidating. But they gear up pretty quickly and recognize pretty quickly that they can contribute in a meaningful way," Collins said.

Smalley is passionate about wildlife and while bear hunting upsets her, she feels it is necessary to control population and keep the rest of the bears healthy and disease-free. Pileggi helped develop the Safe and Civil Schools Committee and would like to see more multi-purpose recreation fields in the borough.

Sventy said having the students on the committe "has resulted in a win/win scenario for everyone, especially Kinnelon." She also said the students add an important and overlooked point of view to open space issues in the community.

"They also offer a unique insight as to where our community is headed regarding open space, recreation and historic preservation," Sventy said.

Sventy said that to her knowledge, is the only New Jersey community to have high school students on their OSAC.

"For me, the best part is being able to watch these young Kinnelon residents become more independent and self assured," Sventy said. "As a committee and as a community we can all be proud of the contributions these students will make, as well as the contributions the former OSAC high school students have made."