Monday, November 5, 2012
Mayor, administrator thank borough workers at Monday night's council meeting.
The electricity in Butler is “99 percent” up and running, according to Mayor Robert Alviene. The announcement came a week after Tropical Storm Sandy caused a JCP&L transmission line to fail on Oct. 29, leaving all Butler Electric customers without power for days. Butler Borough Administrator James Lampmann said during the borough’s council meeting Tuesday night that most of the area, with the exception of a few properties in Smoke Rise in Kinnelon, had been restored. “We have some house services that have been turned off and are waiting for electricians to come back before we can reconnect,” Lampmann said. After sitting in on a conference call with the Morris County Office of Emergency Management earlier in the day, Lampmann learned that …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Bloomingdale will provide all building department functions, with the exception of zoning, for the next five years.
The Butler Council has opted to continue a shared services agreement wherein the Borough of Bloomingdale provides all building department functions and inspection services–with the exception of zoning and property maintenance–for the borough. The agreement, which will continue for another five years, will have identical terms and conditions as the previous five-year contract, Butler Administrator James Lampmann said during Tuesday's council meeting. “We just take basically what was paid this year and pass it through a percent escalator, which fits within the cap,” Lampmann said regarding the cost of the service. Councilman Robert Fox said he rarely, if ever, hears any complaints about the agreement. “This is one of those shared services …
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Butler Council will consider moving handicapped parking space closer to post office.
On a busy day, finding parking on Butler's Main Street by the post office can be quite a challenge. For those who are handicapped, the challenge is enhanced, which is why one resident, a member of the borough's senior citizen organization, wrote the Butler Council a letter to ask if a handicapped parking space could be created in front of the post office. Butler Mayor Robert Alviene read aloud the letter at Tuesday's meeting. Currently, according to Borough Administrator Jim Lampmann, there are two handicapped parking spots on Main Street, neither particularly close to the post office. The resident requested that one of the spots be moved closer to the building for easier access. Councilman Stephen Regis noted that creating one …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Borough decides not to join in Montville Township plan that would have reservoirs lower water levels during hurricane seasons.
While Montville Township officials feel they may be making progress toward flood mitigation with an initiative they have been working on to lower reservoir water levels during hurricane seasons, not all municipalities they have asked to join forces wih feel the same. Butler Borough Council members discussed the initiative and decided not to team up with Montville at Tuesday night's council meeting. The initiative involves allowing the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to issue orders to the Jersey City Reservoir and Boonton Dam during hurricane seasons asking them to lower the water storage levels. Butler officials were not keen on having the NJDEP regulate the water levels at the reservoir. "I don't think we …
Argonne Woods hoping to double condo occupancy by adding rental units to property.
The developer of Argonne Woods, a condominium complex on Route 23 in Butler, approached the borough council Tuesday seeking members' blessing before pursuing a zone overlay to convert units intended for purchase into rental properties. In doing so, the developer would be increasing the number of occupancies at the complex from a total of 69 units to more than 120, including the rentals. The economy has had an effect on the condominium business, even as much of the development is still being built, according to developer Mounir Badaan, of MNB Realty Inc., who spoke to the council with his son, Brandon Badaan. The complex has only sold 10 of the 18 completed units, he said. About one unit has sold for every six months since they have been …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
All three tri-boro boroughs adopt ordinances restricting use of solar panels on private property.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012
As more residents make efforts to be environmentally conscious, the Boroughs of Kinnelon, Butler and Bloomingdale, as well as several neighboring communities, have adopted ordinances that restrict where property owners can place solar panels and wind turbines near their homes. The Bloomingdale Council adopted an ordinance at its Sept. 25 meeting that bans the use of wind turbines on private property, according to Mayor Jonathan Dunleavy. "We're tailoring Kinnelon's ordinance," Dunleavy said. Under the Kinnelon ordinance, approved by the Kinnelon Council in July, solar panels are allowed on private property, but with restrictions. For example, solar panels mounted on the ground are not permitted and rooftop panels, while permitted, are not …
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Council members discussed the potential risks to borough by joining Montville's program.
Montville Township has proposed a flood mitigation initiative for the Passaic River Basin communities, and Butler council members discussed how the initiative might affect their community by joining on at Tuesday night’s council meeting. “If we like everything they’re doing, we can agree and move forward with it,” Mayor Robert Alviene said. But James Lampmann, the borough administrator, cautioned that the council should consider how the Montville initiative would impact Butler. “We need to be a little bit careful about some of their goals,” Lampmann said. The initiative proposes using reservoirs as flood control, which would require the reservoirs to be pumped down in anticipation of a flood, Lampmann said. Montville Township Committeeman…
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Council discusses using website to sell unwanted items.
Just about anything can be bought or sold on the Internet these days and the Borough of Butler is trying to use one website to its advantage by auctioning unwanted items through GovDeals.com. “GovDeals provides services to various government agencies that allow them to sell surplus and confiscated items via the Internet,” according to the website. “Each participating agency has its own auction rules and regulations and may be subject to government ordinances.” An ordinance would be needed to specify exactly which items the borough will be auctioning on the site, Borough Administrator Jim Lampmann said at the Sept. 4 Butler Council meeting. One of the items he mentioned could be auctioned is an old telephone system the borough does not need…
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Borough council approved spending an additional $50K on paving projects to take place over the next several weeks.
Several Butler roads will be getting a facelift in the near future. The borough council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday that will appropriate $50,000 for road improvements. Councilman Robert Fox said this would be added to $100,000 that is leftover from previous road improvement projects. According to Borough Administrator James Lampmann, Bartholdi Avenue, from Butler High School to the Mount Calvary Cemetery, will be milled and paved this week. Hasbrouck Avenue and Mabey Lane will also be milled and paved and, including Bartholdi, are finishing up a water main project on the streets. Fox said that the borough would be meeting with the contactor to go over the milling and paving of Barthold Avenue by the end of the week. He said …
Monday, August 20, 2012
Butler Council, Kinnelon Board of Education will meet.
The Butler Council will be meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Butler Municipal Building at One Ace Road. The annual Pequannock River Cleanup event will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are asked to meet at Sloan Park, on Main Street, to be assigned an area of the river to be cleaned. The annual Friends of the Kinnelon Public Library book sale will begin Friday (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and go until Monday (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day but Friday). During the sale, which is being held at the Kiel Avenue firehouse, hardcover and trade paperback books will be sold for $2 and other paperback books will be sold for $1. Children's books and gift books will have special pricing. The book sale is one of several fundraisers throughout the …
mimi
8:09 am on Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Butler Electric always does a great job, I guess considering the amount of time other towns were out my 2 days wasn't so bad. First time in 20 years here. Worried about this Wednesday and Thursday though. Really don't want a part deux! more ›