Ball gets rolling for new Bedminster business association

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

Another meeting of the new Bedminster business association has been scheduled for April 9.

Township Committeeman Sally Rubin, who has been working to set up the fledgling association, said she is looking for more township businesses or local professionals to join the group, which aims to promote local shopping and cooperation among merchants.

About 14 representatives from local businesses attended a March 5 meeting at Kings Supermarket off Route 202/206, said Rubin, explaining that some sort of business association is necessary in a town without a chamber of commerce.

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Bernards High School to present “Anything Goes” on March 19-21 in Bernardsville

The public is invited to join the cast and crew aboard the S.S. American as the ship sets sail with students from Bernards High School for their performance of "Anything Goes" at the Somerset Hills School District Arts Center at Bernards High School. Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 19-20 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 21.

General seating admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at Bernardsville Hardware and Equipment Rental, 139 Morristown Road in Bernardsville; at the front desk at Bernards High School or by emailing bhsdramatickets@yahoo.com.

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Bernards High School students’ photos of images from around the world at Bernardsville Public Library

Bernards High School student photos at Bernardsville Public Library

Photographs by students from Bernards High School in Bernardsville will be on display through the remainder of March, which is Youth Art Month, in the community room at Bernardsville Public Library, 1 Anderson Hill Road, Bernardsville.

"This Is The World We Live IN" will display the talents of the young photographers at Bernards High, who have photographed a wide variety of subject matters. The photos have captured images from scenes in the mountains of Peru to the farmlands of New Jersey, according to a news release from the library. "I am very excited to see the final outcome of the fruits of the students' hard labor,'' said Dennis Babicke, photography teacher at the high school, which is attended by students from Bernardsville, Peapack-Gladstone, Far Hills and Bedminster Township. "Everyone has been working diligently selecting and framing some of their best images for this exhibition."

The photographs will be on display during regular library hours unless a meeting is being held in the community room. For further information, call the library at 908-766-0118. Information on the library is also available at WWW.bernardsvillelibrary.org.
_ Linda Sadlouskos

New Bedminster business association kickoff rescheduled for Friday morning

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

The kickoff meeting for a new township business association is rescheduled for 8:30 a.m., Friday, after heavy snows resulted in light attendance at two meetings in February.

The township does not have its own chamber of commerce. Township Committeewoman Sally Rubin said she is trying to bring together local businesses to launch a local business association. Whether that group evolves into a formal chamber of commerce will depend on the preferences of the businesses involved in the new association, she said.

The meeting will be in the cooking studio of Kings Supermarket in the township, with breakfast to be served, said Joyce Petriella, regional catering coordinator for Kings.

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Senator Kip Bateman to Speak in Bedminster

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

State Senator Kip Bateman will address the Bedminster Republican Club on Sunday, March 21 at 7:00. The event will take place at Luna Rossa Ristorante, 318 Rte. 202/206, Pluckemin.

The event is open to the public. Cost is $25 for club members, and $30 for non-members. Refreshments will be provided.

To RSVP, call (908) 781-0561.

Bedminster ratifies a 6-year police contract

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

The Bedminster Township Committee on Monday night ratified a six-year retroactive contract with its police union, dating back to Jan. 1, 2008, that grants 14 officers annual increases of between 3.8 percent and about 3 percent through 2013. The police union later ratified the contract on Tuesday morning, both sides said. For the first time, police will begin contributing to health benefits payments this year, said Bedminster administrator Judy Sullivan.

Spokespersons for both sides said they were pleased to conclude negotiations on the retroactive pact.

Having a longer contract also makes it easier for the township to budget ahead in upcoming years, said township Mayor Robert Holtaway.

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Lafayette College Junior Ting Chiu of Bedminster Receives Fellowship from National Public Policy Program

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

Ting Chiu of Bedminster, a junior at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., has been admitted into the 2010 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) program's Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University.

The intensive academic program, which will run from June 10 - July 30, is designed to introduce or strengthen skills in economics, statistics, policy analysis, writing, and public speaking, and focuses on training future leaders for government service and other public service careers. Chiu's fellowship covers expenses for all courses, textbooks, transportation, housing, and meals.
As an English and psychology double major, Chiu's work with the program will focus on how language can improve the efficiency with which stakeholders from different disciplines and backgrounds can work toward a common goal.

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CountryBrunch is added at Natirar’s Ninety Acres restaurant in Peapack-Gladstone

Brunch service has begun at the "table at the farm" restaurant Ninety Acres at Natirar, part of the Virgin Spa property within Natirar Park, owned by Somerset County. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Sunday, Chef David C. Felton is offering a two-course menu, including a basket of homemade pastries, a brunch cocktail, and inventive dishes with locally grown ingredients for $35 per person. Fresh eggs come from the heritage breed chickens raised on Natirar's organic farm.

The $35 prix fixe menu includes an appetizer, and colorful entree. Start your meal with tasty smoked salmon on crackers, cream cheese and red onions, or healthy argula and endive salad with goat cheese and citrusy walnut vinaigrette. The morning feast includes indulgent choices like chocolate bread french toast with a homey corn flake crust, served with bacon and bourbon maple syrup, or duck confit and potato hash with a sunny side-up egg, mixed greens & brioche toast plus a daily rotation of savory steak, fish and egg dishes. Ninety Acres also offers a $8 children's menu which includes a glass of juice and a choice of dishes.

The dining experience at Natirar is enhanced by an outdoor view with mountains and hilltops beyond, as well as xpanses of green grass and leafy trees. The estate’s classic architecture serves as a focal point among the gardens and fields while enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning.

The restaurant is the first phase of a spa and resort planned on about ninety acres leased from Somerset County. The Virgin Spa at Natirar is at 2 Main St., Peapack and Gladstone, 908-901-9500.
_ Linda Sadlouskos

A Perfect Fit matches students with colleges

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

Longtime counselor Cindy Boatwright said that students wrestling with the question of where they want to attend college often come to her looking to get into the "best" colleges, when they should be seeking a college that's best for them.

"When students are happy and intellectually invigorated, they will do well," said Boatwright, a private-practice counselor specializing in adolescents who for the past year has sharpened her focus on students planning their college careers.

Boatwright said she just opened an office to house A Perfect Fit College Counseling off Route 202/206 in December. During a 30-year career, she said she has worked in marketing and communications and as a high school English teacher and guidance counselor. She said she specifically counseled students on their college choices at the Purnell School in the Pottersville section of the township.

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Summer recreation on agenda for Bedminster Township official at snowed-in town hall

By LINDA SADLOUSKOS
STAFF WRITER

Today's snowstorm provided a good opportunity for Bedminster Township recreation director Robin Ray to work on a special task — plotting the full array of summer recreation activities to be offered here when the weather turns hot and steamy.

Ray said she and Joe Haggerty, the technical assistant in Bedminster's construction office, were the only municipal employees holding the fort at the municipal building at 1 Miller Lane this morning.

Between trying to help the few residents who stopped with questions and tax assessments, Ray said she was up to her neck in planning summer days for local participants.

"I'm working on the whole program — coming up with forms and the master schedule," Ray said at about 10:30 a.m.
Ray said she has less information about winter activities, however. She said she cannot endorse local ponds for skating, and did not have any idea as to the safety of ice.

However, Ray said many people chose to cross-country ski on Bedminster's hike and bike trail through the municipality.