Politics & Government

Forge Pond Proposal Will Be Heard, At Future Date

Presentation that was on last night's agenda was removed earlier this week.

A representative from Friends of Forge Pond will get to present the group's ideas for the redevelopment of the old Foodtown site on Route 70, despite the fact that a formal presentation that had been on the agenda from the group was removed by a councilman earlier this week.

John Zingis and other people associated with Friends of Forge Pond were initially on the Township Council agenda last night to present to the town, but Councilman Jim Fozman requested the presentation be removed.

Fozman said at the beginning of the meeting that he requested that the Friends of Forge Pond presentation be removed from the agenda, because he had previously sent an email to Councilman Bob Moore that the group bring their presentation first to the Citizen's Redevelopment Board. Fozman said that request was not relayed to the Forge Pond group.

But Councilman Dominick Brando took issue with Fozman's statement, noting: "this is a board of citizens who got together and worked these plans out … who are we to tell them they can't come and do that."

Brando noted that the Friends group should stay until the end of the meeting to discuss their proposal during public comments, which Zingis did. 

Zingis told Fozman that he had presented information to the redevelopment board, but Fozman noted that that information was in a sketch format, and he thinks the group should have a presentation first, before the proposal is given to Council.

Moore noted that he would be happy to work with the group so that they could get a chance to present to the Council in the near future.

The Friends group, which is made up of private citizens, proposes a mid-scale hotel, a community center and an aquatic center.


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