Maplewood TC

Cripe thanked voters who “entrusted me with this role…I never in a million years thought a kid from Daytona Beach would have been doing things here in Maplewood, but you gave me a chance, and I appreciate the support, the criticism, the calls to to do the right thing, the challenges that have come with being in this role.”

TC member Vic DeLuca said the utility would enable the town to help prevent flooding, fix/add infrastructure, and incentivize residents to reduce impervious surfaces. Some public commenters questioned whether a new utility was the most effective way to deal with challenges.

The utility will provide a regular pool of funds for annual drainage improvements and be funded by residential and commercial properties, with fees ranging from $35-$175 annually based on the amount of impervious surface on a property.

Winokur, who turns 100 today, still lives in the same home in Maplewood she moved to 71 years ago — and has “loved every minute of being here.”

Noting concerns about crime stemming from the 24-hour Wawa, late-night noise, an increase in unhoused people and a recent shooting, one resident said that Maplewood has “…become lackadaisical where safety is concerned, but I live on the border and it bothers me greatly. I pay a lot of taxes. And I like to be safe.”

After several years of late budgets, the township passed the final budget in May. Work is already starting on next year’s budget.

Regular fees will plunge by roughly 10%, and the ‘Pool Pals’ program will enable lower-income residents to pay 30% of the regular rate.

Petitions to run on the ballot in the June 4 primary as either Republican or Democrat are due to the Maplewood Township Clerk at close of business on March 26. No Republican has successfully run for TC since the 1990s.

The TC recently designated six of the eight lots within the area — which face Maplewood Ave. and are between Inwood Pl. and Durand Rd — as an area in need of redevelopment.

Since moving here in 1989, Adams has played pivotal roles as an environmental activist, a champion of economic redevelopment, and even named one of Maplewood’s best-known neighborhoods.