Bernards Voices

Dear Residents and Neighbors,

Planning Board hearings on the Quarry’s proposed Rehabilitation Plan will continue tomorrow night at the Municipal Building on Collyer Lane at 7:30 pm.  All documents have been posted on the Township website at bernards.org and can be accessed by scrolling down on the home page to MQ Reclamation or by using this link.

One of the documents is the “MQI Clean Soil Acceptance Procedure” which the Quarry proposes to use to bring in more fill.  The Planning Board must determine whether more fill is necessary to rehabilitate the land or whether the Quarry should be limited to whatever clean fill it has already imported. If more fill were permitted, the PB must determine not only whether the protocols are adequate to ensure that only clean fill is brought in this time, but the likelihood of compliance and the ability of the Township to enforce them.

Residents have questioned why we are here again arguing over more fill.  The answer is in the Township ordinance on Quarry licensing.  See 4:9-5.

Required Review and Renewal of Rehabilitation Plan. Approval of every rehabilitation plan shall expire on the third anniversary of its approval, and a revised rehabilitation plan shall be submitted not less than six months before the expiration of the rehabilitation plan. The revised rehabilitation plan shall be reviewed by the Planning Board and approved by the Township Committee in the same manner as an initial rehabilitation plan.

The ordinance describes the requirements of the rehabilitation plan.  With each rehabilitation plan application, the Quarry can argue for more fill importation.  Residents have questioned the Quarry’s sales manager as to whether the Quarry is prepared to pay for fill this time, and the sales manager said that they have not decided, but that there is no greater risk of bad fill if you are paid to take it versus if you must purchase it.

—Citizens for a Clean and Safe Millington Quarry

In recognition of the 25th Anniversary of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 26-March 3, 2012) the Healthy Outcomes Partnership, an initiative of the Somerset Hills YMCA, invites you to join us in a discussion of healing and hope.

Come hear a young woman share about her struggle with anorexia and her journey to recovery. Listen to our panel of experts as they talk about the signs and symptoms of eating disorders and available treatment options. Get the information and resources you need to help your child, your friend, your loved one.

Everybody Knows Somebody

Wednesday, February 29th, 7:00pm

at the Somerset Hills YMCA

This event is free & open to the community

For more information on this event and other upcoming mental heathworkshops email SusanVisser, Healthy Outcomes Coordinator at svisser@somersethillsymca.org

The Planning Board will resume hearings on the Quarry’s proposed rehabilitation plan tonight at 7:30 pm at the municipal building on Collyer Lane. JM Sorge, the Quarry’s licensed site remediation professional and the person who is likely the most knowledgeable about current and future testing at the site is scheduled to testify.

Attached are several documents which were filed by Sorge regarding filings with the DEP. All of the files should be published at www.bernards.org in the future but were not available at this time. All documents may be viewed at the Planning Board office with an appointment.

The Planning Board hearings may be viewed live at Channel 15 for Cable customers and Channel 35 for Verizon customers.

4 attachments:
20090501 MQI MOA
20090506 Comments to RAWP
20110601 NJDEP Phase II Approval
20111129 List of Documents

PB Meeting December 20

On Tuesday evening December 20 at 7:30, Planning Board testimony will resume on the Millington Quarry Rehabilitation Plan. JM Sorge, the Quarry’s hired engineer and Licensed Site Remediation Professional, will testify. Sorge is the person with information regarding the Quarry’s plans, if any, to test the rest of the site and as to the reason their testing has been limited to designated Fill Areas A, B and C.

December 6 Meeting–Proposed Need for Fill

On December 6, James Cosgrove, a principal of Omni Environmental LLC, testified for the Quarry on the proposed lake management plan. Much of the testimony related to the alleged need for 156,000 cubic yards of riprap for lake bottom and bank. The Planning Board’s environmental expert questioned the need for riprap for the lake.

Consider that the quarry has for decades deeply excavated and sold the rock that it now seeks to import.  The Quarry has profited from sales and importation.  The Quarry’s right to profit must be balanced against the negative effects on the town. And it is fair to question to what extent the amount of proposed fill is related to profit vs need.

Last week a resident wrote the following Letter to the Editor of the The Bernardsville News: Need for More Fill at Quarry called “shocking”

– Citizens for a Clean and Safe Millington Quarry

From April 27th Psychology Today blogpost of Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps:

For many relationship problems, the fix is simple but not easy; spend more time together. I don’t mean get-more-things-done-together time. Or even air your problems time. Partners need to have time when they can each share what naturally bubbles up from deep within — interests, values, or experiences that are expressions of their true selves. And they need their partners to have the time, focus and interest to really listen. This kind of being together is often lost in the overcrowded shuffling of daily activities.

Couples who first come to me for therapy often acknowledge that our appointment was the most time they spent alone together that week. As therapy continues, my office becomes a sanctuary; a place where they can devote their attention wholeheartedly to each other.

Time Together: A Cure for Relationship Problems « The Art of Relationships.

Tomorrow afternoon Dr. Becker-Phelps will be presenting “Compassionate Self-Awareness: An Approach to Making Real Change.” Leslie Becker-Phelps, PHD Monday, May 9, 1 p.m, at the SHYMCA.

Cheryl Fenske reports in The Patch:

Mental Health Week 2011 will feature several keynote speakers and a full slate of programs. Here is a sampling:

• “Complicated Grief & Bereavement: Living with the Pain of Loss.” Dr. Monica Indart.  Monday, May 8, 9 a.m.
• “Mental Health First Aid for the Somerset Hills” (how to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and assist the individual). Bryan V. Gibb. Wednesday, May 11, 2 p.m.
• “Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything” (suggested $5 donation). Dr. Michael Osit. Wednesday, May 11, 7 p.m.
• “Compassionate Self-Awareness: An Approach to Making Real Change.” Leslie Becker-Phelps, PHD Monday, May 9, 1 p.m.
• “September 11^th, 10 Years After: Finding Healing Hope and Help.” Megan Sullivan, Tuesday, May 10, 1 p.m.
• “Hearing Distressing Voices: The Experience of Auditory Hallucinations,” an interactive presentation by the MHANJ. Friday, May 13, 2:30 p.m.
• “Learn. Don’t Label. An Interactive Presentation on Stigma” presented by DV8 from Drew University. Friday, May 13, 2:30 p.m

Somerset Hills YMCA to Host Mental Health May 9-13 – Basking Ridge, NJ Patch.

Members of the Ridge High School National Honor Society will hold a fund-raiser for the Somerset Hills YMCA’s Healthy Outcomes Partnership program, in memory of Jack Kimzey, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the YMCA, located at 140 Mount Airy Road in Basking Ridge.

Ridge High students to remember classmate – Recorder Community Newspapers: News.

“Mental-health challenges still carry a stigma in our society, and this foundation helps play a critical role in raising awareness and letting people know it is ok to seek help,” said Bridget Bauer, a Ridge senior and member of the school’s National Honor Society. “It really makes a difference in peoples lives.”

Mental Health Week, an educational collaboration between the Somerset Hills YMCA’s Healthy Outcomes Partnership (HOP) and the Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ), will run Monday, May 9, through Friday, May 13, 2011 and will include presentations and workshops by a variety of noted experts in behavioral health, parenting, special needs and public health and education. All members of the community are invited to attend these free (unless otherwise noted) events; a complete schedule can be viewed at www.somersethillsymca.org.

Featured Keynote Speakers include:

DR. MONICA INDART:
“Complicated Grief & Bereavement: Living with the Pain of Loss”

Kicking off the week is Monica Indart, PsyD, an internationally recognized thought leader with more than 25 years of experience working in crisis intervention, trauma, grief and loss in both private practice and around tragic global events including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the southeast Asian tsunami of 2004 and the genocides in Uganda and Rwanda. Dr. Indart, a licensed clinical psychologist, has developed a widely-used disaster crisis counselor certification program, has provided consultation to the United Nations and has traveled around the world working toward recovery and peace building with survivors of torture and other traumatic events.
Dr. Indart’s talk during Mental Health Week, “Complicated Grief & Bereavement: Living with the Pain of Loss,” will weave together her vast international experience and observations with practical counsel for individuals and families dealing with trauma and grief.
Monday, May 9: 9:00 am – 10:30 am, Multi-Purpose Room, Main Level, Somerset Hills YMCA

DR. MICHAEL OSIT:
“Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything”

Psychologist, educator and parenting expert Michael M. Osit, EdD, the author of Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything (Amacom, 2008), will address the concerns of parents the world over regarding the potential negative effects of various forms of digital communication and provide insights on how parents can help their children learn to make intelligent choices. Dr. Osit has worked with young people for more than 30 years and has assisted families who have been challenged by the new order of access and excess – and the temptations and other dangers that go with it. He is a frequent presenter on a wide variety of topics for professionals, parents and schools and has been interviewed by prominent national and local print and broadcast media. He currently writes the “Mind to Mind” column in WarrenConnection and is in private practice in Warren, NJ.
Wednesday, May 11: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Main Level, Somerset Hills YMCA (Suggested donation: $5.00 per person; Dr. Osit will be selling and signing books after his talk)

BRYAN V. GIBB:
“Mental Health First Aid for the Somerset Hills”

You may know CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver. But would you know how to help if faced with a friend, loved one or stranger’s mental health crisis? Bryan Gibb, a nationally known-speaker and trainer will introduce an innovative community education program – Mental Health First Aid – which trains individuals to understand, recognize and provide help to those experiencing the symptoms of mental distress until appropriate professional or other help can be engaged. This ground-breaking program has been taught in more than 15 countries, and in the United States alone, more than 20,000 people in 44 states have taken the course in the past three years. It is now being brought to our community through the Somerset Hills YMCA and its Healthy Outcomes Partnership initiative. Mr. Gibb will describe the human costs associated with mental illness, its prevalence in our society and the documented success of Mental Health First Aid in reducing the stigma that frequently prevents people from seeking help.
As Director of Public Education for the National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare, Mr. Gibb travels across the country to run 5-day instructor certification courses required for those who will teach Mental Health First Aid. He worked closely with the city of Tucson in the aftermath of the tragic shootings in January, and is a frequent guest on Washington, DC-area television and radio talk shows.
Wednesday, May 11: 2:00 – 3:30pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Main Level, Somerset Hills YMCA

LESLIE BECKER-PHELPS, PHD:
“Compassionate Self-Awareness: An Approach to Making Real Change”

There are many self-help books that tell people what they need to do to change — to lose weight, find love, get rich, be happy, stop smoking — just to name a few. And sometimes, that advice happens to fit with how people think and function, and it works. But, according to Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps, a clinical psychologist and regular columnist and blogger on WebMD.com and Psychology Today.com, all too often, people blindly follow the advice without feeling that it truly applies to them — and inevitably, their efforts fail. Dr. Becker-Phelps will explain how we can be controlled by unconscious processes that act as “invisible puppeteers”, as well as how we can cut those strings using “compassionate self-awareness” — a balance of self-compassion and self-awareness – to make lasting change.
In addition to her roles as relationship expert on WebMD’s Relationships and Coping Community, blogger, lecturer and psychologist in private practice in Basking Ridge, Dr. Becker-Phelps is on the medical staff at Somerset Medical Center, where she previously served as chief of psychology and director of Women’s Psychological Services
Monday, May 9: 1:00 – 2:00 pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Main Level, Somerset Hills YMCA

Community Hope will host the Annual Forum on Mental Health on Thursday, May 26, 2011 beginning at 12:45 p.m. at the Lewis Morris Park Cultural Center, 300 Mendham Road in Morris Township.

The theme of this year’s event is “Creating Positive Energy for Wellness: Innovative Strategies for Discovering Inner Strength”. The workshop presentations will be conducted by Jeanne Rohach, a freelance workshop facilitator who specializes in the areas of self-esteem and stress reduction; Anna Marie Van Eck, Director of LearningRx in Florham Park and Debbie Morris, a movement coach.

The Forum is an educational event promoting wellness and recovery for health care professionals; individuals with mental illness; their family members and caregivers. The Forum is also open to the public. For more information or to register go to http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e3maqdv6e88c14b6&llr=pytra5bab

The Healthy Outcomes Partnership, an initiative of the Somerset Hills YMCA and coalition of agencies, organizations and concerned individuals, is joining with the Mental Health Association in New Jersey to present the second annual Mental Health Week, May 9 – 13. Five days full of talks and workshops on a broad range of topics related to achieving mental and emotional health and well-being. It’s free and open to the entire community. More than 20 national and local experts in behavioral health, family/couple dynamics, child and teen development and elder care will provide current information and resources on timely topics at various times throughout the week at the Somerset Hills Y, 140 Mt. Airy Road, Basking Ridge.

Here is the schedule for the year’s Mental Health awareness week:

Mental Health Week Schedule at a Glance!.

I’d like to highlight Bryan Gibb’s talk on Mental Health First Aid, Wednesday, May 11, 2pm.

If you’ve been following my blog posts, you will know that I’m very personally and passionately committed to the topic. We want to make MHFA as common as CPR first aid. We have 2 of the 10 certified instructors in New Jersey who can provide 12 hour training to members of the general public. I want members of the general public, people like you and I, to know how and when to pick the phone and make that first phone call for help. It is only people very close to the distressed person (a family member, a close friend, a colleague / supervisor at the office) that is in a position to notice the change over time and conclude something like—“my husband/girl friend/employee is not the same person that they were six months ago.”