It’s not often enough that members of the community get the opportunity to express appreciation for our township government, officials and employees.
After 20 years, we’ve finally been able to right things with the Bonsal Preserve, so this is just such a time. Per Jaimie Julia Winters’ great, ongoing coverage of our efforts in the Local, the Friends of the Preserve are grateful to Clifton for redirecting its aging sewer line to our outskirts and undertaking the long-awaited restoration phase of the project, complete with 282 native trees and bushes and 14,100 square feet of native grasses.
But we also owe our gratitude to Montclair Township Manager Timothy Stafford and the Montclair Township Council for representing our interests and funding our planning stages; to Township Attorney Ira Karasick for pursuing the homeowners whose property lines we have now been able to reestablish; to public works officials Steve Wood and Rob Bianco, their crew, and the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission for clearing those areas for planting; and to the environmental commissions of both municipalities and the Montclair Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee for their support. Most of all, we’re grateful to our councilman, Deputy Mayor Bill Hurlock, for lobbying tirelessly on our behalf behind-the-scenes.
Come winter, come spring, come all, come out and enjoy our new and improved preserve!
Jonathan Grupper
Friends of the Bonsal Preserve
Editor’s note: In the time since this letter was submitted, Ira Karasick has resigned from the position of Montclair township attorney.
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