Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-01-16
Cliffside Park Council
Holds First 1915 Session.
Much Dissatisfaction Daory Method of State Board
Health and Borough of Edgewater in Arranging Sewer Outlet
Diculty-Some Friction


Cliffside Parks council meeting on
Monday night, really the opening ses-
sion of the year, developed some in
teresting situations. President of the
Council Sammis presided, Mayor
Newman being again unable to at
tend. Part of the time two members
were on their feet at the same time,
and one of them had to be called to
order by the chair. The other member
supplemented this by good-humored
motion that the gentleman was out
of order. Besides this, the motion was
the borough attorney to which strong
opposition was taken be inscribed on
the minutes for the sake of future
reference. In the case of a motion by
Councilman Zimmerman that the bor-
ough of Edgewater and the State
Board of Health be notified that in
thirty days time the council would
grant permission to abutting property
owners along the new sewer to make
connections Herewith, and the council
voting three to one in favor of it,
Clerk Brundage declared the motion
lost. To the ordinary mind this would
appear to have been carried. But the
clerk pointed out that there were six
members on the board, and it was nee
essary that four votes be cast in the
affirmative if the motion were to be
carried. The six members were in
reality all present, but Mr.. Sammis,
being the presiding officer, abstained
from voting. Councilman Hoeckel-
burg was not sufficiently enlightened
on the question and asked to be ex-
cused from voting. "He did not even
know where the mouth of the sewer
was"
Before committing himself on the
result of the vote President Sammis
referred the matter to Attorney AFt
new for his opinion. The latter de-
cided that the motion was lost. mo,
not in the case of a motion, or affirm
alton, or audience" shouted Council
man Flood several times. He was
seconded by Messrs. Naedler and Zim-
norman. Councilman Flood had pre-
viously intimated evidently in the
hope of getting an additional affirm
alive vote) that Mr.. Hoeckelburg
could get any instruction, to aid him
in voting on the motion, from the
clerk, attorney or engineers. This
suggestion being made more than
once, one member called out "what
are you making boiler about ?" The
gentleman did not apply for the in
formation. The presiding officer final
ly announced that the attorneys decis-
sion on the matter would rule; and
the motion was declared lost. AS
consequence the State Board of Health
and the Borough of Edgewater will
not be notified to the effect that this
borough will not wait more than thirty
days before it practically gives per-
mission to its residents along the line
of the sewer to make connection there
with, and start the system merrily
running. In which case, the gates of
the disposal plant would be opened
and the treated and diluted sewage
escape as brook riverwards through
the borough of Edgewater. This same
sewage now proceeds as an open gut
ter overflow from the borough's cess
pools brook-wise to the Hudson. The
vote on the motion referred to was:-
Cadien, no; Flood, yes; Naedler, yes;
Zimmerman, yes.
The division on this question was
very marked, the party in favor of de-
cisive action for bringing the sewer
deadlocks to a head, being as stub
bornly resisted by the party in favor
of conciliatory measures (Messrs.
Sammis urged that the Council be not
precipitous in the matter. Mr.. Agnew
said that the motion proposed would
put the State board in a humiliating
light; also the borough of Edgewater.
Mr.. Sammis thought that originally
condemnation proceedings should have
been begun, but that now things were
progressing as well as could be ex-
pected. Mr.. Agnew thought that the
motion should not prevail at this time;
they should try to settle on an amic-
able basis. Mr.. Naedler said: "Start
something Mr.. Flood desired to have
the fine for connecting with the sewer
removed.
The engineer reported that the
Edgewater engineers assistant, who
was to make the drawings and speci-
fications showing what would be nee
essary to meet Edgewater's require
ments for making Ciffside's final
sewer connection with the river, had
been sick. And in consequence of this,
as Mr.. Zimmerman said, Cliffside Park
was going on spending 500. week as
the cost on it's investment. 1t was
most tiresome; humdrum; an outrage.
Meanwhile the State Board of
Health is lying low in the matter, and
Edgewater is not on speaking terms
with her fair sister borough of Cliff
side Park on the subject. The banks
investment is good; for mathematics
are always working; no outlet dead
lock has any terrors for them.
Their hundred per are flowing even