Applications, Presentations All Scheduled for This Week

With applications being introduced and continued, plus possible budget discussions and an ordinance concerning houses of worship, residents are invited to attend any number of meetings in the coming week.

On Monday night, the planning board will be meeting at 7 p.m. in the performing arts auditorium of the to accommodate an expected large crowd for the introduction of an application from the Chughtai Foundation to build a on the former Redwood Inn property on Mountain Top Road.

The application was initially supposed to be introduced at the June 24 meeting, but was postponed when the number of people in attendance exceeded the capacity of the municipal complex.

The application includes the building of a mosque, daycare facility and elementary school on the approximately 14,750-square-foot property. It is expected to hold up to 500 people for special services twice a year, and 250 people on Friday afternoons for non-event worship attendance.

The daycare facility is expected to accommodate 40 children, and the elementary school can bring in 235 students.

On Tuesday, the zoning board will hear a continuation of the at the Green Knoll Volunteer Fire Company following its last hearing Jan. 25 when the board asked the company to look into other options for fixing coverage in that area of town.

According to the agenda on the township’s website, the hearing may be continued to March 31.

The board heard the introduction of the application in August for a 125-foot cell tower at the on North Bridge Street. The tower is proposed to be a flagpole with antennas within the pole and two GPS antennas lower down on the pole, and is expected to cover an estimated 1.7-mile gap in the coverage area, specifically at places on Foothill and Crim roads and North Bridge Street.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal complex on Commons Way.

Also on Tuesday is a scheduled board of education regular session meeting that was rescheduled from Feb. 22 because of Gov. Chris Christie's address about the state budget.

Expected at the meeting will be a 2011-2012 tentative budget presentation from Superintendent of Schools Michael Schilder following this week’s release of from the governor’s office. The board is expected to vote on the tentative school budget.

The meeting will be held at 8 p.m. at the Harmon V. Wade Administration Building on Newmans Lane.

Finally, on Thursday, the township council will be holding an agenda session meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Expected on that agenda will be a public hearing on a recently introduced .

Concerns have been expressed about this ordinance with regard to it being introduced after the initially expected introduction of the mosque that would not have access off a major highway. The ordinance was written in response to a reevaluation of the master plan that some have said was unfair based on its timing.

Also expected at either the March 3 or March 7 meetings will be a presentation of the township’s 2011 budget from Mayor Patricia Flannery.

For more information about the upcoming township meetings, visit Bridgewater’s website at bridgewaternj.gov.

For more information about the upcoming school board meeting, visit the district’s website at brrsd.k12.nj.us.