A Night at the Opera

Strange title ,this one, to describe a Municipal Council meeting in West Orange. Yet, the comparisons are possible.

This past Tuesday night, August 12, the Council convened for a second reading of the Tree Ordinance. This second reading was to be the culmination of a year's work on the part of several environmental volunteers and the Council members as well. In fact, the discussion languished for so long, there were now new members on the Council whose seal of approval would be the first significant business of their newly seated council membership.

It would be no exaggeration to say that the relatively large audience was "keyed up" awaiting the reading, much as the audience feels prior to an operatic performance.

Like the works of Puccini, this opera was to be verisimo, an ordinary event within a melodramatic situation.

And none who came were very disappointed in the performance.

Objections to certain vague definitions were repeated by several people who got up to speak, a chorus of harmonious voices.

There were high notes reached during the discussion when one council member or another appeared to find their voice..... and their purpose in serving on the council.

And though the evening ended late and not quite perfectly, the coda--- or conclusion---- was agreeable.

A not perfect, but reasonably good ordinance, was passed and the performers, both from the audience and from the council seats, were invited to take their bows.

Jerry Sharfman was lauded for his endurance and vision for leading the cast of environmental volunteers for low these many months. And the council as a whole was recognized for their deliberation and, in their final moments, their wisdom and flexibility.

But were I to single out two divas in the overall evening, it would be Councilwoman Susan McCartney who even in the last moments truly seemed determined to make the ordinance as strong as possible,as well as newly-elected Councilwoman Patty Spango who strengthened her own support of the better ordinance based on what she was seeing and hearing at this meeting. Both women deserve an extra round of applause and a few bravas for their attention and perseverance. As does Councilman Renard Barnes who, as newly elected President of the Council, is doing a bravissimo job of conducting council meetings with the patience and stature of a great statesman.

The Ever Changing American Landscape

Having just returned from a week in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, the long ride home gave me ample opportunity to reflect on what was a glorious vacation.


Thinking about the Smokies as a vacation destination, I had been apprehensive about what we would find, having visited and loved this area over 40 years ago. But I did know that housing had sprung up and multiplied in the area of Highlands, the town where we would be staying, and the numerous real estate offices we passed on the outskirts as well as within the town center had me concerned. Would these be the Smokies I remembered so fondly?


There is no denying it. The area has certainly become much more residential with private homes and housing "developments" in significant proliferation. But almost all of the "developments" are out of view of the road, and walking through them one would hardly qualify most as developments as we know them in the north east. The homes in the Highlands in developments are on large parcels of land, and the trees and shrubbery surrounding them is so dense it's impossible to see other homes. Neighbors may as well be a mile down the road though most are only an acre or two away beyond the green borders.


Despite the building boom that has taken place in 40 plus years, the character of Highlands and most of the neighboring towns has changed little. The country surroundings remain green, serene and beautiful and the little town center of Highlands has grown up considerably. There are now several upscale restaurants, a lovely hotel, antique and gift shops, ice cream parlors and other niceties that the residential population increase obviously suppports. In many respects, it reminds me of the European "village" model I have always coveted, a country house within a quick drive or long walk to the village center.


Of course, in these same four decades, the character of West Orange has changed, as has the character of many of the surrounding towns---- though not nearly as dramatically. West Orange in the 1970's was certainly not the country setting that Thomas and Mrs. Edison preferred, choosing to live here in 1885 rather than reside in the much more metropolitan NYC. But it is still recognizable as compared to four decades ago.


However, projecting 40 years into the future---- as determined by the current tree ordinance under consideration----- the town will no longer have the slightest resemblance to what it is today, let alone what it was four decades previously. Should this ordinance go through with the latest language, West Orange will undoubtedly become so densely populated that whatever trees remain after the building takes place will be few and far between. It will be bricks and mortar, and little else. The trees will be the decimal points and commas between houses, not the lush setting for the homes that they are now.


For those who chose to live in West Orange for its acres of woodlands and pleasant green spaces, there will be little attraction to stay. For those who might consider moving here in the decades to come, the urbanization that will undoubtedly happen with a weak tree ordinance will only add costs and decrease quality of life making the township most unappealing.


What the City Council decides in 2008 in regards to the preservation and protection of trees can very well be the architectural plan for West Orange's future, if it is to have one at all.