Replacement Field, Assemblyman Schroeder, Historic District Top This Week's News

Washington Township football teams will be able to use the artificial turf field at for their four home games this season, according to Mayor Janet Sobkowicz.

Officials had been planning to re-sod Memorial Field, where the teams normally play, but . The field has had several maintenance issues, the most notable being netting from old sod which sticks above the surface.

State Assemblyman Robert Schroeder owes millions of dollars and may be facing sanctions from the federal government, according to reports on NorthJersey.com and NJ.com.

Schroeder was last week. At the time, Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said the state would continue their investigation and asked others who had bad financial dealings with Schroeder to come forward.

A plan to designate Westwood Avenue and surrounding properties as a historic district has drawn criticism from owners of the affected buildings.

Preservation Consultant Gregory Dietrich presented a report about the plan during a meeting of the Westwood Historic Commission Wednesday. Dietrich said the plan would benefit the community by ensuring new developments will match the surrounding area. Historic district property owners can also waive application fees when filing for construction permits, Dietrich said.

Property owners said they were concerned about a review by the commission for work done to the exterior of all buildings in historic districts.

Firefighters from Westwood, Woodcliff Lake and Hillsdale responded to a call at Thursday morning after a custodian reported a fire in a boiler room.

A large commercial water heater caught fire, according to Westwood Fire Marshal Darren Blankenbush. The cause of the fire was still under investigation, but it did not appear suspicious, he said.

Drivers passing by the on Pascack Road in Washington Township can expect to see a greater variety of signs starting this fall.

The Washington Township Council came to a consensus during their meeting this week that they would introduce changes to a sign ordinance governing the strip mall during their next meeting. The changes include removing restrictions that all signs must use the same color and font, and business owners will be able to expand to fill a 12.5-foot by 4-foot area.

Westwood officials are looking for a deputy coordinator to join the borough's Office of Emergency Management.

The borough's office has been operating with just a coordinator, Darren Blankenbush, who is also the fire marshal. A directive from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management states that the coordinator must appoint a deputy coordinator, to be approved by the mayor.

The OEM is responsible for coordinating the efforts of police, firefighters, EMTs, the DPW and others during emergencies.

Washington Township Attorney Kenneth Poller's status as a salaried employee may change, depending on a ruling from the IRS.

The Washington Township Council approved the year's salary ordinance during their meeting Monday, which includes an allocated $66,529 for the township attorney plus an additional $135 per hour for services in courts and other special projects.

A report from the state comptroller's office released last month found "widespread improper participation in the state pension system among attorneys and other professionals working as independent contractors for local governments."

Many towns in New Jersey failed to comply with a 2007 state law which was designed to limit independent contractors from receiving state pension benefits, according to the report.

At the previous council meeting, Councilman Fred Goetz voted against introducing the salary ordinance because of a conflict with the 2007 law.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.