New name, new start

Madison 2020, as you know, was not renewed by the Mayor and Council in 2011 so the organization has lain fallow. But Sustainable Jersey has continued on, and so will sustainability in Madison. A new ordinance to create Sustainable Madison was approved by the Madison Environmental Commission on February 16. Councilman Don Links will take it to the Council and Mayor for approval in the near future. I'll keep you posted on its progress.

Meanwhile the Boy Scouts and the Madison Environmental Commission are hosting the third Green Fair on Thursday afternoon, May 3, in the part of Green Village Road by the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts. We are actively looking for vendors and organizations to host tables.

Why does the Mayor prohibit the Environmental Commission from its work?

Why is the Mayor blocking the Environmental Commission from its work? The Madison Recreation Complex, the Mayor's pet project, is well underway. The Madison Environmental Commission, following the advice of the regional organization of environmental commissions, has embarked upon testing the water that runs off the fields into a bio-retention basin and then the bordering wetlands. The sampling will set a baseline for the water contents before the crumb rubber is placed onto the fields. Then annually the water will be sampled to check for lead and zinc and other metals that are toxic to the residents and the wetlands and that have been found to be in the crumb rubber. The MEC voted to go forward with the testing on Sept. 28 and to pay $1400 for it from the MEC budget. Since then, Rob Catalanello, Borough councilman, has written emails to the MEC with a confusing array of objections. And now the Borough attorney, Joe Mezzacca, has written a letter that seeks to prohibit all sampling. The letter follows:
 
Let's think about why the Mayor would seek to stop the analysis of the field runoff water. She doesn't want to find out about heavy metals in the water in time to require the contractor to filter them from the water. She doesn't want to protect Madison's water quality, even in such an inexpensive and easy way. Do you think she's considering the impact on property values of spoiled drinking water in Madison?