Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Concerns topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press Woodbridge on Kaysby park delays and crime; mayor rejects calls to target DEP/EPA or apartment residents
Summary
Public commenters urged the township to push federal and state agencies to open Kaysby park and expressed concerns about auto thefts and burglaries; Mayor John McCormick cautioned against antagonizing DEP or EPA and rejected claims blaming apartment residents, while Police Director Hubner said identified offenders were largely from outside the township.
During the public comment period residents asked the council to accelerate reopening of Kaysby park and associated trails, which they said remain closed despite earlier promises tied to cleanup or redevelopment. Tom Maris and others urged local officials to press the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to act. “The trails have not been open... we keep hearing we’re waiting on the EPA,” a resident said, pressing the township for a status update.
Mayor John McCormick said the township is “pushing it” but that federal and state review processes constrain local control: “It's obviously out of our hands... the bureaucracy in Washington and also... the DEP in Trenton.” He told resident critics that the township would not mount a public relations campaign against the agencies it must work with and asked residents to use official channels for problems.
A separate commenter accused newcomers and apartment residents of causing a rise in thefts and burglaries. The mayor sharply rejected that attribution as unsupported: “I don't think you have any evidence or any basis to possibly make a statement that the people who pay $2,500 a month or $3,000 a month... have anything to do with what you described.” Police Director Hubner added that investigations show many identified offenders have been traced to neighboring Essex County rather than to Woodbridge addresses.
Town officials repeatedly encouraged residents to report specific incidents to the mayor's office or their councilperson so the township can respond; they also noted increased use of the police department's social media and a local free weekly to communicate crime prevention guidance.
