Home Care In Montville, NJ

Sponsors for Dance & Donate Event: Julian Garcia (photogragher); Kady-ann Wint (backdrop - Kouture Events by Kady); Estrella Rosenberg (Rosenberg Real Estate Group); Iiya & Viktoriya (owners of Fred Astaire Montville).

Rosenberg Real Estate Group - Alexis Dominguez, Estrella Rosenberg & Carissa BorragginePhoto Credit: Julian Garcia Images

Dance & Donate at the Fred Astaire studio in TowacoPhoto Credit: Julian Garcia Images

Photo Credit: Julian Garcia Images

Sponsors for Dance & Donate Event: Julian Garcia (photogragher); Kady-ann Wint (backdrop - Kouture Events by Kady); Estrella Rosenberg (Rosenberg Real Estate Group); Iiya & Viktoriya (owners of Fred Astaire Montville).Photo Credit: Shaun Crafton

Rosenberg Real Estate Group - Alexis Dominguez, Estrella Rosenberg & Carissa BorragginePhoto Credit: Julian Garcia Images

By Compass NJ LLC

PublishedMarch 18, 2024 at 7:22 AM

Montville, NJ – Estrella Rosenberg from the Rosenberg Real Estate Group at Compass proudly announces the success of their 2nd Annual Women's Event, Dance and Donate, held in honor of Women's Month at the Fred Astaire studio in Towaco. This year, the event took on an even more meaningful dimension by incorporating a giving back component, where for one month, we rallied together to collect prom dresses for girls in need.

Estrella Rosenberg reached out to the Township of Montville Women's Club to collaborate on this meaningful mission, aligning with both groups’ dedication to positively impacting our community. "We aimed to collect 130 dresses, but the overwhelming response from the community exceeded all expectations, with an astonishing total of 283 dresses gathered," remarked Estrella.

Utilizing various social media platforms, we rallied the community's support. "The excitement and enthusiasm from women wanting to contribute to our cause was truly inspiring," shared Estrella Rosenberg. All donated dresses, evening shoes, and accessories were directed to benefit Project Self Sufficiency’s Prom Shop, an initiative supporting young women in need of prom attire.

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After a month of collecting dresses, we celebrated on March 14^th by inviting the generous community to a free event that was hosted at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Montville. Attendees were entertained with not only a professional dance lesson, but a night of dancing and performances by the Fred Astaire Dance staff. The entire night was captured by photographer Julian Garcia of Montville.

The success of this year's Women's Event serves as a testament to the strength and generosity of the Montville community, reaffirming the importance of supporting and uplifting women in need.

Estrella Rosenberg, a devoted Montville Township resident and Kiwanis member, epitomizes the spirit of community engagement and philanthropy. Beyond her role as a local real estate agent, Estrella and her team organize quarterly events aimed at uniting residents and celebrating the vibrancy of Montville’s community. From the Dink & Donate Pickle Ball Charity Tournament that raised $2,100 for New Beginnings for Tomorrow; to their 2^nd Annual Paws & Claus event that benefited the Montville Animal Shelter; and most recently the Good Deed challenge where 100 meals were purchased from Market Street Mission in honor of 100 residents in an effort to motivate people to pay it forward.

"Community is at the heart of every event we do," says Estrella Rosenberg. “As a real estate agent deeply committed to community impact, I’m honored to not only fulfill housing dreams, but also give back to the community we love.” Please consider us for buying or selling in Northern NJ!

Community Park Trail Map in Montville TownshipPhoto Credit: Montville Township Environmental Commission & Open Space Committee

By Kim Arminio

PublishedFebruary 28, 2024 at 12:59 AM

MONTVILLE, NJ - This past fall, members of the Township Environmental Commission and Open Space Committee met with the Montville High School Earth Club student members, and their Advisor, Paul Rolfe. Together, they walked the trails behind the high school.

The students became acquainted with proper trailblazing techniques and how to maintain the beautiful network of walking trails that exist and are currently being worked on.

There are three marked trails where maintenance help is still needed. The Earth Club will be adopting one of these trails.

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If anyone is interested in the “Adopt a Trail” program at various Township trail sites, Kim Arminio, Environmental Commission, or John Misiewicz, Open Space Committee, can be reached through the Montville Township Committee.

As you can see by the Community Park Trail Map below, this is a great avenue for a little exercise in a quiet, beautiful space.

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MONTVILLE, NJ - The residents of Montville Township were invited to vote in a special school referendum election on Dec. 12 where there were two questions on the ballot.

Voter approval for Questions 1 and 2 of the referendum totaled $70 million in improvements and were expected to bring $9.5 million in state funding to the Montville Township community. The total tax impact was estimated to be $410 per year for a home assessed at $533,572.

According to the unofficial results provided by the Morris County Clerk's office, with some mail in, provisional and emergency ballots still outstanding, both bond proposals for Montville Township were voted down.

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For Bond Proposal Question No. 1 there were 1,455 yes votes (1,048 on election day and 407 mail-in) and 1,790 no votes (1,472 on election day and 318 mail-in).

For Bond Proposal Question No. 2 there were 1,508 yes votes (1,103 on election day and 405 mail-in) and 1,723 no votes (1,411 on election day and 312 mail-in).

Morris County had three December Special School Elections held on Dec. 12. These were located in Madison, Montville and Mount Olive. According to the Morris County Clerk's Office, total voter turnout for these three special elections as of 11 p.m. on Dec. 12 was 16.74%.

"The MTPS Board of Education and administration appreciates everyone who took the time to learn about the proposal and shared information with family, friends and fellow community members before casting your vote," Montville Township Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Gorman sent in a communication. "The Board will discuss alternatives and seek community feedback as it determines how to move forward in addressing the needs of our district."

According to the Montville Township Public Schools website, securing these funds would have allowed the district, over the next two years, to address space needs for the district's elementary students. It would also have allowed the implementation of security measures and the replacement of aging HVAC systems to be implemented more quickly.

Voters saw two questions on the ballot.

Question 1 was for $53 million to fund additional space including new construction of 23 classrooms and dividing 14 classrooms to make 28 rooms that are right-sized for small-group instruction. For Hilldale, William Mason and Woodmont, Question 1 proposed new construction of flexible, large-group instructional areas. Also included are parking areas at William Mason and Woodmont. For details, see the Projects and Funding pages of the Montville Township Public Schools website.

Question 2 was for $17 million to strengthen the schools with stepped-up security measures, including two-stage entrances at the five buildings that don’t have them now. It would also make the schools more efficient with modernized HVAC systems. For details, see the Projects and Funding pages of the Montville Township Public Schools website.

Mr. Daughtry & Mr. Agnoli with the 2022 Achieving Excellence Together team of Christine Fano, Michael Rappaport, & John Petrozzino. (Any actual or implied endorsement by the individuals pictured is in their personal, private capacity only and not in their capacity as elected officials.)

Mr. Joseph Daughtry & Mr. Nicholas AgnoliPhoto Credit: Daughtry & Agnoli for Montville BOE Campaign

Mr. Daughtry & Mr. Agnoli with the 2022 Achieving Excellence Together team of Christine Fano, Michael Rappaport, & John Petrozzino. (Any actual or implied endorsement by the individuals pictured is in their personal, private capacity only and not in their capacity as elected officials.)Photo Credit: Daughtry & Agnoli for Montville BOE Campaign

Mr. Joseph Daughtry & Mr. Nicholas AgnoliPhoto Credit: Daughtry & Agnoli for Montville BOE Campaign

By Daughtry & Agnoli for Montville BOE Campaign

Joseph Daughtry and Nicholas Agnoli are excited to announce they are running together for two seats on the Montville Township Board of Education. Joe has proudly served on the Board since 2017 having been re-elected in 2020. Nick is seeking his first three-year term on the Board.

Mr. Daughtry grew up in Montville Township and is a former graduate of William Mason Elementary School, Robert R. Lazar Middle School, and a member of Montville Township High School’s Class of 2000. Joe is a graduate of William Paterson University where he studied History and Psychology. He is currently on the administrative team at A.C. Daughtry Security located in Montville Township. His family started the business over 30 years ago and is proud to continue serving the residents and businesses of Montville Township and nearby towns overseeing fire and safety systems. Joe remarked that, “I believe giving back to the community you live and grew up in is very important, whether it is through volunteering on local committees and civic organizations or by serving as an elected official to your local school board or town council.”

During his tenure on the Board, Mr. Daughtry has achieved the levels of Master Board Member and Certified Board Member in the New Jersey School Boards Association Board Academy Program. He serves as the chairperson of the Policy Committee and a member of the Safety and Security Committee. His involvement and commitment to Montville Township extends well beyond regular BOE business as he serves as the chairperson of the Drug Awareness Council – Municipal Alliance and as a member of both the Environmental Commission and Design Review Committee. Joe is also dedicated to the needs of our special education learners serving on the Board of Directors for the Morris County Educational Services Commission since 2022.

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Mr. Agnoli grew up in Towaco and was a former graduate of Cedar Hill Elementary School, Robert R. Lazar Middle School, and a member of Montville Township High School’s Class of 1992. Nick is a graduate of Virginia Tech and holds a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from Rutgers University, where he was an adjunct professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Nick is a licensed professional engineer with one of the largest rainfall prediction companies in North America. He and his wife have three boys in the Montville Township school system, one in Robert R. Lazar Middle School and two in the high school. Nick commented that, “I have always valued my education in this town. It served me well in college and graduate school, and I want to make sure the momentum continues for years to come.”

In addition to giving back to the schools, Nick has coached recreation baseball, travel baseball, and recreation basketball for almost 10 years and is a past Vice President of the Montville Baseball and Softball Association. Nick has been a member of the Montville Planning Board since 2018. He, along with his sons, volunteers maintaining local hiking trails with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. His ties to public education go back to the 1960s, when his mother and father taught in Belleville and Bogota High School, respectively.

Building on last year’s initiatives of the Achieving Excellence Together team, Mr. Daughtry along with Mr. Agnoli are excited for the opportunity to continue to move our district forward for our students, continue the great programs that have been put in place, and support the administration to further innovate on programs for our students so we can all continue to achieve excellence. Sharing a common vision with last year’s team, Joe and Nick want to partner with the other Board members to build on the vision where students, parents, and educators are collaboratively moving our district forward.

The Montville Township Board of Education election will be held on Tuesday, November 7th.

Recently, much has been made about two developments in Montville Township that were granted a long-term property tax exemption from the Montville Township Committee. This program is not well known, but it can have significant impacts on any township. A recent written response to the questions raised at a township committee meeting only left us with more questions than answers.

The NJ Payment in Lieu of Taxes ("PILOT") program allows municipalities to exempt developers from property taxes on the building and improvements. The developer would instead pay a much smaller annual service charge to the municipality. The purpose of the program was to give municipalities a tool to encourage development in distressed or blighted areas. Initially intended only for cities, the use of the program has since expanded into the suburbs of New Jersey.

While it's clear why a developer would want to utilize the program, the big question is why would a municipality be willing to accept less in property taxes? While improving actual distressed areas would have benefits to any municipality, there is an even greater reason. While the municipality will collect a smaller amount of funds, they will be able to keep a larger share of those funds and ultimately end up with greater revenues compared to the typical property tax allocation. The reason for this is under the PILOT program, a municipality keeps 95% of the annual service charge with the remaining 5% going to the county. Under the typical property tax allocation, in a suburban district like ours, approximately 60% of property taxes is allocated to the town’s public schools with the remainder going to the municipality and county. The schools are the big loser under the PILOT program as they lose out on property tax revenue.

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In Montville, we can already see the beginning effects of the overdevelopment brought upon by granting the PILOTs. Our school district currently has a proposal for capital improvements to the schools in anticipation of the overdevelopment. Did the township committee even discuss the PILOTs with our school administrators prior to granting the PILOTs? In many towns, the township committee (or equivalent governing body) will coordinate with school administrators to alleviate any financial burdens. What will be the increase in school operating costs due to increased student enrollment? All of this will have to be borne by the existing homeowners in the town as any of the new rental units under the PILOT program will not be required to pay anything to the school district. This is just the beginning.

The governing body has kept much of the township in the dark on these matters until only recently when word leaked out. The answers so far provided have been limited. What we do know is that the township committee has provided a financial incentive to two developers to encourage development in Montville which has the effect of putting a massive financial strain and burden on the school district. We do not yet know how much the annual service charge will be on an annual basis. The amount of the estimated annual service charge should be able to be estimated with the use of the developers’ projections, but the township committee has failed to provide this information. We do know that the total amount will be less than the normal property tax and that the school district will receive none of the funds received. This will likely lead to a greater tax burden on all residents in this town. We also know that Montville must increase the number of affordable housing units in this town. However, nobody is requiring the use of the PILOT program to meet those requirements.

The question that each taxpayer must ask is whether Montville was in such dire need of development that we had to provide property tax exemptions to two developments (at the time of writing this article) and bear a greater tax burden to maintain our high-quality schools.

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