Patricia Walsh Named Freeholder Board Director

Patricia L. Walsh of Green Brook was named director of the Somerset County Board of Freeholders for 2012 at the board’s Jan. 6 reorganization meeting.  Peter S. Palmer of Bernardsville will serve as deputy director this year.

Robert Zaborowski, of Franklin, joined Palmer in taking the oath of office for their fifth and sixth freeholder terms, respectively, following their re-election in November.  The other members of the freeholder board are Patrick Scaglione of Bridgewater and Mark Caliguire of Montgomery, who is filling the one-year unexpired freeholder term of Assemblyman Jack M. Ciattarelli.

In her inaugural remarks, Freeholder Director Walsh noted that Somerset County joined most of New Jersey in weathering two significant storms in 2011:  Hurricane Irene in August and the Halloween weekend nor’easter.

“I want to again thank and commend the first responders, emergency management and public works teams, state, county and municipal employees, local organizations and the many volunteers who came forward to respond to these storms,” she said. “We were fortunate to have no loss of life in Somerset County during either event.”

This year will present ongoing financial challenges, she said.  “We have gone through the worst economic scenario in anybody’s memory and have done so while protecting our tax payers, services to our citizens and the livelihood of county employees.

“The next 12 to 24 months are going to be just as challenging and will require even greater cooperation if we are to continue our long-standing tradition of exemplary services coupled with a strong financial underpinning that is based on solid planning and sound budgeting,” she said.

On the plus side, she said, the county has retained its long-held triple-A bond rating and received more than $60 million in grant funds during 2011.  One of the largest grants was $35.2 million for the Route 22/Chimney Rock Road Interchange, which is scheduled to start construction later this year.

Other 2011 accomplishments included construction of solar panels on 36 public-sector properties as part of the countywide renewable-energy project; another 35 sites will be part of Phase 2 this year.  Open space acquisitions included the 247-acre Skillman Park and another 355 acres for the Sourland Mountain Preserve.  The county’s dedicated open-space trust fund also provided $1-million grants to Bound Brook and Green Brook for turf field upgrades.

Looking ahead to 2012, Freeholder Director Walsh heralded the planned migration of three more towns – Somerville, Raritan and Bernards – to the county’s 911 dispatch system; completion of the North County Public Works Facility in Bridgewater; design of a new Social Services building to replace the current one on East High Street in Somerville; creation of recycling drop-off locations around the county for residents and businesses; and completion of the police consolidation study in early March.

 She also noted the passing last fall of two longtime Somerset County public servants, former Freeholders Vernon A. Noble and Peter J. Biondi.  Noble served as county surrogate before retiring some years ago; Biondi had just won re-election to the State Assembly at the time of his death in early November. County officials plan to name the Talmage Avenue flood-control bridge in memory of Noble, a founding member of the Green Brook Flood Control Commission.  Hillsborough Township’s municipal building will be named for Assemblyman Biondi, who served as mayor there.

Submitted by Linda Van Zandt