by Walter Elliott
NEWARK – Residents who are concerned about a proposed solid sewage-to-biochar plant by Newark Bay and Doremus Avenue. may want to see if its site plan application hearing will make March 15’s Central Planning Board online agenda. That agenda is to be posted after the “Local Talk News” deadline.
CPB members had adjourned Aries Clean Energy’s presentation Feb. 22 at the request of Mayor Ras Baraka’s administration. The postponement allowed Baraka and Deputy Mayor of Economic and Housing Development Allison Ladd to hold an online March 4 community meeting to discuss the biochar plant.
Aries, of Nashville, proposes adding the biochar plant to a truck depot that already exists at the east end of Doremus at Newark Bay. Solid human waste, treated at other treatment plants, would be converted to biochar through gas combustion. The biochar would then be sold as a base for concrete.
Attorney Ernardo Webster, Jr., speaking on client Aries’ behalf, said that the human waste will be delivered in sealed containers. The proposed facility would operate in a negative pressure atmosphere, eliminating any odor emissions.
Aries’ plant, however, would depend on the depot’s 100 trucks, who are projected to make 400 daily trips from nearby New Jersey and New York wastewater treatment plants. (It is not known whether Aries would draw from the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s neighboring waste treatment plant.)
That each truck is to make four daily round trips into the far east Ironbound neighborhood, however, is one issue East Ward residents and environmental activists are apprehensive of. The Ironbound Community Corporation, citing the area’s asthma rates and use of neighborhood streets, is against the proposal.
Webster said that Aries’ attempts to meet with ICC have broken down over whether those sessions would be public or private. East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador, citing that the site’s I-3 heavy industrial zone prohibits sludge processing, said that the application should rather go to the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment. (That board’s next meeting is set for March 16.)
IRVINGTON – Although funeral arrangements for Victor A. Melillo, 21, have not been fully released as of presstime, New Jersey FMBA President Ed Donnelly is offering his family a line of duty funeral with full honors for the IFD recruit.
“While Victor Milello was only starting his career,” said Donnelly Tuesday afternoon, “he was a member of the fire service family.”
Condolences have been pouring into Irvington Fire Headquarters from within and outside of the “Local Talk News” area since Milello’s death at Morristown Medical Center was announced Tuesday afternoon. Members of Irvington FMBA Local 14 and International Association of Fire Fighters-Irvington Officers Local 2004 have added their own consolations, in turn, to Melillo’s family.
Irvington Fire Chief Antonio Gary and Donnelly with the family at Milello’s passing and at an organ donation ceremony with the NJ Sharing Network, of Springfield.
Melillo, 21, had suddenly collapsed during a Morris County Public Safety Training Academy exercise in its parking lot in Parsippany 9:30 a.m. March 4. Several first responders present, including county EMT technicians, offered immediate aid. Atlantic Ambulance paramedics and Morris County OEM medics rushed Melillo to the Morristown Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition for five days.
Milello was following in the footsteps of his father, the late Victor G. Milello. Father Milello was a longtime Belleville Fire Department firefighter and arson investigator before his retirement. He was 59 when he died June 8.
Mother Maria and uncle James Milello are among V. A. Milello’s survivors.
EAST ORANGE – Only in East Orange where bus riders would find themselves rolling by a Wu-Tang Clan episode filming here Feb. 26.
“Local Talk” was taking a scheduled northbound NJTransit bus on its No. 90 Grove Street route when it drove along eastbound William Street past North Arlington Avenue that late Friday morning.
East Orange Police had closed North Arlington between City Hall Plaza and William while the musical group filmed a scene for its second season of “Wu-Tang Clan: An American Saga.”
Riders knew some kind of video production was going on when their bus turned onto William from North Walnut Street. The Cicely Tyson Fine and Performing Arts school complex’s parking lot was partially taken up with Haddad and other production support trailers and vehicles plus all of William’s south side curbside parking lane.
Other No. 90 riders may have received a Wu-Tang sneak peek so long as an unrelated construction project was underway north of North Grove Street and Freeway Drive West for that day.
EOPD had also closed North Grove between the drive and William Street while an NJTransit contractor installed four-foot-tall yellow bollards in front of its Morris & Essex rail line bridge pillars. The closure detoured northbound No. 90 buses onto Freeway Drive West, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, North Walnut and William.
Wu-Tang’s location scouts may have recommended that apartment building block of North Arlington for its resemblance to those from 1990s New York City. The Wu-Tang Saga series revolves around Bobby Diggs’ (aka “RZA”) “striving to unite a dozen young black men (who) are torn between music and crime.” Its second season is to air on Hulu later this year.
ORANGE – A proposed seven-story, 87-unit apartment building’s application, to be sited southeast of the Highland Avenue railroad station, may be coming before the Orange Planning Board in the near future.
Trillium Equities, of Ann Arbor, Mich., is proposing to build five stories of apartments above a two-story parking garage at 448-452 Scotland Rd. The 120,000-square-foot structure, featuring a terrace for each unit, is to rise from the southeast corner of Scotland Road and Mountainview Avenue.
The development, pending planning board approval, would replace 448 and 452 Scotland Rd. 448 is a two-story single family house on a 7,200-sq. ft. lot. 452, also known as Alberona Welding & Iron Works, stands on a 17,495-sq. ft. lot.
The City Council had received an Orange Historic Preservation Commission resolution Nov. 20, 2019 for a Certificate of Appropriateness. The COA would allow demolition of 448 and 452 Scotland. The two lots area and proposed development would be within the Montrose-Seven Oaks Historic District and the Central Valley Redevelopment Area.
WEST ORANGE – Customers of Prospect Exxon here have been getting garage service discounts, from its March 8 reopening through March 11, after Coronavirus precautions closed the station March 1-5.
“Thanks to everyone for your patience, support and understanding during these trying times,” said Prospect Exxon on its March 5 Facebook posting. “We’re all in great health and are ready to get back to fixing cars.”
The station at 486 Prospect Ave. and its staff had a three-week saga with COVID that had it closed March 1-5. and three employees battling the virus.
This story began with an employee getting a positive test Feb. 22. Station management promptly went to an appointment-only car service and otherwise forbade customers from coming into the building through Feb. 28. Prospect Exxon, however, had to close all operations and follow CDC quarantine and guidelines.
Prospect Exxon, just north of Mt. Pleasant and Marcella avenues is nearest to Essex Green Town Center. Itis not to be confused with Eagle Rock Auto Care Exxon, 270 Prospect at Eagle Rock Avenue.
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD – Parents and neighbors were not seeing mirages, in the form of some South Orange-Maplewood School District students, returning to some of the 11 schools in both towns since March 1.
The district and South Orange-Maplewood Education Association leadership had agreed to have some Pre-Kindergarten-through-Second Grade and all English language learners and special education students to in-person classes.
In-person classes return the district to a hybrid instructional plan with remote learning. That phase was suspended last month, when SOMEA members, citing classroom ventilation concerns, continued their remote instruction from their homes.
The SOMSD, in a March 10 morning release said it had ended negotiations with SOMEA, which had been through a state-appointed Public Employee Relations Commission mediator. A disagreement over whether to add Sixth-through-Ninth grade students into the classrooms starting March 15 has led to this breakdown.
The district’s Board of School Estimate has scheduled a March 11 virtual meeting to discuss construction and debt service issues.
BLOOMFIELD – Some 200 police and law enforcement officers from within and outside of the “Local Talk News” area helped bring one of their own – Ret. BPD Off. Ben Christiano – home March 2-6.
The first police detail brought Christiano’s body from Hackensack Meridian Health University Hospital to the O’Boyle Funeral Home March 2. An honor guard stationed themselves during March 5’s visitation and into March 6’s funeral there.
The first detail and honor guard were joined by some 150 of their colleagues for Christiano’s Saturday funeral and burial at Montclair’s Immaculate Conception Cemetery. Thirty-eight of them rode their motorcycles – including one pulling Christiano’s hearse – led the other officers and relatives on a route to the cemetery via the Bloomfield Police Headquarters. Two BFD ladder trucks raised an American flag over part of the procession’s route.
Christiano, 53, lost his battle against COVID around Noon, March 2. The 26-year officer, who retired Dec. 1, was hospitalized with the virus March 7.
Benedetto “Ben” Christiano, Jr. was born in Belleville July 12, 1967 but was otherwise a lifelong Bloomfielder. He followed father Ben, Sr.’s path though Bloomfield High School (Class of 1985) before eventually joining the BPD.
Benedetto was most familiar as a Traffic Bureau motorcycle officer. The Bloomfield Local No. 32 treasurer and Harley Davidson enthusiast was also a member of the Hire Guns Motorcycle Club-NJ Chapter.
Wife Julie, daughter Lyndsey and sister Donna Williams are among his survivors. The PBA and Shonah Maldonado have launched a Gofundme.com page to help with the Christianos’ funeral expenses.
GLEN RIDGE – The New Jersey Department of Education is reviewing the Glen Ridge Public Schools Student Safety Data System, for a grade, while you read this.
The district’s self-assessment, as presented before the GR Board of Education Feb. 22, reports only one incident July 1-Dec. 31, 2020. The sole incident is lower than the seven, found across violence, vandalism and Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying incidents reported the same period in 2019.
GRPS Director of Student Services Jack DeWitt said that the half-year reporting period and the school-closing COVID pandemic account for the 86.4 percent drop. Glen Ridge High School, for example, did not reopen until October.
There were 33 district employees who took 36 related training sessions July 1-Dec. 31, compared to 51 sessions the same time last year.
NJDOE is to present its safety and HIB report grade later this school year.
MONTCLAIR – Township residents and 60 percent of its smaller businesses are being asked not to put their recycling out on the curb for pickup but, for the time being, drop them off at the Department of Community Services yard at 219 North Fullerton Ave. during its expanded hours.
Mayor Sean Spillar and Township Manager Timothy Stafford had to suspend curbside recycling since the department’s “significant decrease in its workforce due to COVID-19” Feb. 24. Affected DCS employees include those who had tested positive for the virus and/or those who have been so exposed.
Spillar, while allowing already placed recycling to get picked up through Feb. 27, sought an emergency contract with four private recycling collectors. Three of the companies had similar staffing woes and a fourth, said the mayor, provided a monthly “six-figure quote.”
Residents, since March 3, may bring their recycling materials to the DCS yard 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Councilman Peter Yacobellis reminded residents to have all cardboard flattened and containers cleaned of food. The yard will accept plastic materials graded one, two and five. Otherwise, check recycling details at montclairnjusa.org.
BELLEVILLE – The late Frank P. Caputo’s four decades of educational and civic service included three stints here among other towns and public school districts.
Mayor Michael Melham and the Township Council recently honored Caputo, 76, with a proclamation for his being Second Ward Commissioner 1990-94 and as deputy mayor 1992-93. Caputo was also a Belleville Zoning Board of Adjustment member during that time.
Caputo had first been a longtime Belleville Little League coach and president. His last Belleville contribution was as a Belleville Middle School vice principal 2013-14. He was commuting from Barnegat, where he had moved to in 2010, to the building where he had graduated from as among the Belleville High School Class of 1962.
Caputo, whose 2016-18 Barnegat commissioner term included being deputy mayor in 2017 and mayor in 2018, died from COVID complications Jan. 11 at Stafford’s Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Meridian Medical Center.
Born in Newark May 6, 1944, Caputo was raised in Belleville. He had left for Dodge City, Kan. ‘s St. Mary of the Plains College and Newark’s now-Kean University and returned with respective bachelor’s in education and master’s in administration degrees.
Caputo’s 34 years in secondary school education ranges from teaching to district superintendent. His residences in Clifton, East Rutherford and Mt. Olive yielded board of education seats there. He also worked for the N.J. Sports and Exposition Authority 10 years as Giants Stadium Security and Meadowlands Arena Event coordinator.
In his SMPC Alumni summary, Caputo said his first taste of politics came while he was student council president. (SMPC closed in 1992) Wife Dee, son Frank, daughters Kellie Jackson and Danielle Benanti, three grandsons, four granddaughters, brothers Anthony and Patrick and sister Barbara Blahut are among his survivors. His Funeral Mass was held Jan. 16 at Manahawkin’s St. Maty of the Pines.
NUTLEY – That Steve DiGregorio had recently announced his retirement from being head coach of the Nutley High School varsity football team – but not from teaching NHS social studies here – has prompted residents and local football fans to call it the end of an era.
DiGregorio, 60, after three head coach stints over a 17-year span, turned in his clipboard and whistle in a March 4 teleconference with the Maroon Raiders team. He is finishing his 12-year career on a high note, helping to guide NHS to a 6-0 undefeated record last autumn.
Those last six victories were added to the career 57 DiGregorio’s teams have scored 2004-11 and 2017-18. The Maroon Raiders, under his watch, made the NJSIAA playoffs seven times and reached the 2010 North Jersey Section 2 Final game.
DiGregorio, however, had to step aside in 2019 so he could focus on battling cancer. He told a reporter last week that has been taking chemotherapy sessions between his 12-hour days here and a two hour Nutley-Princeton commute.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here at NHS; it’s been the best coaching experience of my life,” said DiGregorio. “However, it’s time to turn my attention to my health and wellbeing.”
DiGregorio himself was a Maroon Raider gridiron standout 1976-78 before he graduated here in 1979. The Muhlenberg University scholar-athlete’s first return to NHS came by way of his coaching apprenticeships at Clifton’s Paul VI HS, Hobart College Allegheny College, Princeton University (for 13 years) and, as athletic director, Paramus Catholic HS.
