Home Care In Towaco, NJ

MONTVILLE – Fights over development are common in New Jersey, but this one is different.

The township of Montville is essentially suing itself.

Go figure.

This intra-community legal battle has its roots in a proposal by Diversified Properties LLC. to develop an age-restricted community that would include 266 units and such amenities as a swimming pool and tennis courts. This would be built near where Route 287 crosses the township and in the vicinity of River Road and Route 202.

As is the norm with these things, there was resident opposition as the plan meandered its way through a series of Zoning Board of Adjustment meetings. As the regulatory venue suggests, variances were needed.

And last fall, the board in a 5-2 vote granted 20 variances, which seems like an astonishing number to be sure, and approved the project.

Litigation to overturn the approval was quickly filed by a resident.

One does not intend to make light of resident opposition, but to be candid, litigation of this type is not unusual.

Now we come to the township committee, which filed its own suit seeking to overturn the approval last Nov. 20.

That was unusual.

The township contends, in short, that the zoning board “acted beyond its statutory authority,” and in doing so, it “arrogated” the zoning powers of the township.

The suit notes that the township committee considered a “senior housing overlay zone” for the roughly 29-acre tract in question, but it did not approve one.

So in layman’s terms, the zoning board messed up – big time – by sanctioning the project.

The committee’s reasoning is not what’s unusual. What is peculiar is the suit itself.

Boards of Adjustment are not independent entities; they are part of the municipal government. Board members are appointed and approved by the township committee.

So, the committee is suing a group of people it themselves appointed.

And given the fact both the committee and the board are government bodies – as opposed to private entities – you have to figure that township taxpayers are on the hook for both ends of the litigation. Up to a point at least.

The developer, Diversified Properties, is a defendant as well. The township won’t need to pay their attorney, but it, presumably, would need to pay the zoning board’s attorney for any work related to the suit.

The township committee held its reorganization meeting Tuesday night and Dr. Matthew Kayne was appointed mayor. Under the township’s form of government, the 5-person committee names one of their own as mayor.

There was no mention of the suit itself, although it was pointed out that two veteran members of the zoning board have resigned.

Broadly speaking, it is just about always good politics to oppose a large-scale development project. As stated, many residents show up in opposition to such proposals.

Speaking after the meeting, Kayne refrained from in-depth conversation about the suit, which is customary. Although, he did say it was the right thing to do and had nothing to do with politics.

One who disagrees with that assessment is the attorney for Diversified Properties, Steven Schepis.

In a recent brief seeking dismissal of the suit, Schepis says the township’s litigation is a “politically motivated attempt to satiate the unreasonable demands of a handful of area residents” who he said are unhappy that 40 of the units will be reserved for low/moderate income seniors. He also said the township’s suit was procedurally deficient.

Things change all the time, but as of now, Judge Stuart Minkowitz is scheduled to hold a Jan. 26 hearing on this odd Montville Civil War.

MONTVILLE, NJ - After fourteen months of hard work and preparation, Stella Lee's dream came true as the ribbon was cut last month on 2D Cafe Tornado in Towaco, NJ.

Lee, a native of Korea who also owns Serenity Nails & Spa next door, and partner Eric Quan have created a '2D World' in Montville Township where it's like being in a sketchbook, one that Lee has been creating in her mind for many years. The entire black and white café is hand drawn and painted from floor to ceiling, corner to corner.

"It feels really good to finally open the cafe," Lee said. "I'm really excited. This is my dream."

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Lee hired recent art school graduate Kai Moon to bring her concepts to life in this black and white 2D world, the first of its kind in New Jersey and only the fifth like it in the United States, according to Lee.

Lee and Quan explained how the floor was finished six months before opening the café, but the wrong sealant was applied and the floor turned yellow overnight. They had to strip the entire floor and start the process of hand painting the artwork for a second time. One visit to the café will show that this was no small task and certainly a labor of love and dedication.

The concept of the 2D Cafe, along with its menu, is Asian-inspired. The menu includes coffee, bubble tea, fruit infused lemonades, Korean-inspired shaved ice, soup, sandwiches and fresh pastries and desserts.

In February and March, 2D Cafe Tornado is featuring Jazz@Tornado live music performances by vocalist Jeeminn Lee, the Seneca Black Quartet, Montville's Ed & Maxine Alstrom and many more.

"We want to make a concert, a party, a place where everyone can come and be happy," Lee said. She's hoping to make these live music performances a regular offering at the café.

"The town needs a place like this," Quan said. "A place where adults and children can also enjoy the space for parties and events." Quan mentioned that the café was designed with a party atmosphere in mind, where the different spaces can be rented for gatherings.

2D Cafe Tornado is located at 662 Main Road in Towaco, NJ and can be reached by calling 973-265-4222. To learn more about the café and upcoming Jazz@Tornado performances, visit its website (https://2dcafetornado.com/) or instagram (2d.cafetornado).

Photo Credit: Sarah Klobuchar

Photo Credit: Sarah Klobuchar

Photo Credit: Sarah Klobuchar

Photo Credit: Sarah Klobuchar

Photo Credit: Sarah Klobuchar

Photo Credit: Sarah Klobuchar

Sarah Klobuchar and Christina Faundez, owners of Vida de Wellness Spa Photo Credit: Sarah Klobuchar

By Melissa Benno

MONTVILLE, NJ – A relationship built between a massage therapist and her client has led to a new massage therapy business in Towaco.

“From the moment I met her, it was like we were friends from day one,” Christina Faundez said of her business partner at Vida de Wellness Spa, Sarah Klobuchar.

“Christina just made [my massage experience] so relatable and friendly,” Klobuchar said. “She just made me feel so comfortable […] and it grew and grew.”

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“And after two years of working there, I had my epiphany and she had her epiphany, I said, I love what I do but I want my own space and schedule and Sarah has such an amazing background in business that she was like, ‘I can help!’” Faundez said.

Located at 638A Main Road in Towaco, Faundez says that Towaco was their first choice of locations.

“I saw the train station, and both Sarah and I lived, at the time, five minutes away from the location, and I saw so much potential,” Faundez said. She finds the shops by the train station “absolutely adorable.”

Klobuchar said that things really came together after a disappointment with another space and meeting with the realtor for the spa space and owner Vince Rienzi.

“We saw the space and we were like, ‘This is the space!’” she said.

It was supposed to pour rain for the grand opening event Sept. 10 but luckily the skies cleared up and the event was held outside successfully. Raffles were held including local area businesses and Landauer Café provided catering including finger sandwiches and chocolate-dipped strawberries, Klobuchar said.

The spa offers deep tissue massage, hot stone massage and basalt volcanic stone massage.

“Christina specializes in using a variety of pressures [in her massages], but for me I love her deep tissue,” Klobuchar said. “She uses those pressures but includes the enhancements that you see on the website – the hot stone, the cupping, the gua sha – but she customizes the massage for each client, based on their medical history, based on their personal preferences, in order to really find a perfect recipe for healing. She’s just a master class and I can’t speak high enough about her. She’s also training additional staff members to make sure that clients get the quality of Christina.”

Klobuchar said that the spa will also be offering life coaching services to help deal with anxiety and fear.

“My childhood dream was always to own my own business,” Faundez said. “I knew I wanted to be a massage therapist and I knew the power of touch was a very important healing necessity with communicating with each other. I knew I wanted to own my own business. How I was going to do it – I had no idea. I knew I wanted a full facility – a wellness center.” Further services are part of the long-term plan, she said.

“We want to make sure that Vida de Wellness is balancing the mind and body,” Klobuchar said.

Visit Vida de Wellness at Vida.

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This letter is in full and enthusiastic support of Committeeman Matt Kayne! Matt has been an elected official in Montville Township for 15 years. He started on the Board of Education serving for 9 years (3 consecutive 3-year terms). He has been a Township Committee member for almost 6 years (2 consecutive 3-year terms). A testament to his leadership is that his peers on both autonomous boards chose him as their leader – first as President of the Bd of Ed and now as Mayor. He may be the first ever to accomplish this in Montville Township! There is no doubt he has the respect and confidence of those he has worked with. Having won 5 consecutive elections, he clearly has the confidence of the voters in Montville, Pine Brook, and Towaco, too! As he has said, he started his public service years ago as a way of giving back to our community. While on the Township Committee, Matt has repeatedly demonstrated his integrity, strength, drive, and decision-making abilities. Not only is he intelligent but also a diligent and willing listener, who is incisive and empowers those around him. He tackles large and small issues alike and is always all about what is best for our town and all its residents. Matt has always been fiscally responsible. In the past 10 years between the Township and Board of Ed budgets the average budget he has presided over increased only 1.5%. The Township continues to have a AAA bond rating and has just posted yet another perfect audit (done for several consecutive years). The town is run well, and it shows! He has also done many things for the township in support of the environment. While on the TC, he pushed for LGEA’s (Local Government Energy Audits), which are no cost energy audits for all buildings. With the results of the audit, many lighting fixtures in our township buildings were made eco-efficient, saving energy and taxpayer dollars. Many of the parking lots in town have been receiving environmentally sound LED lighting upgrades, we have expanded paper shredding and recycling days. Also, street sweeping has been aggressively increased, all large water and sewer pumps now have Variable Frequency Drives (VFD’s) installed to minimize electrical demand, and on and on. Dating back to his years on the BoE he pushed for tax free LGEA’s, replacement of outdated fixtures at a greatly reduced cost, and ultimately helped a few schools get solar, mostly paid for by grants. I could go on and on. His body of work during his 15 years as a publicly elected official in Montville Township is vast. There is no one who cares more about our town. Please vote for MATT KAYNE in the general election!! Respectfully submitted, Marie Fragomeni Montville Township resident since 1975

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Photo Credit: Courtesy Newark Academy

By Nina Shirey

PublishedFebruary 18, 2024 at 10:13 PM

MONTVILLE, NJ - Towaco resident Katerina (Kat) Dakos, a senior at Newark Academy (NA) — an independent school for grades 6-12 in Livingston, NJ — has committed to playing basketball at NCAA Division III Christopher Newport University. Newark Academy celebrated Dakos’s achievement during a Signing Day ceremony on Feb. 7. Family, friends, teachers and coaches were in attendance to cheer her on.

On Feb. 1, Dakos put her name in the Newark Academy record books by becoming the fifth player in program history to score 1,000 career points, despite having her freshman season shortened to just four games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dakos, a captain, also helped lead the team to a conference title and Prep Tournament championship during the 2023 season.

“I’m really excited to play at the next level and get better,” says Dakos. “There’s a lot of girls on the team who are from all over the country so it’s going to be cool to be playing with a bunch of different people. I’m just really excited that it’s not over.”

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