Advance Robbinsville
OCTOBER 2018
FREE
COMMUNITYNEWS.ORG
Still a marvel
Banking on it New construction cashes in on Route 33’s reputation as Bankers’ Row
A decade later, approval process for BAPS mandir remains ode to cooperation
By RoB anthes
ranthes@communitynews.org
By micheLe aLPeRin The approval process for the 162-acre mandir complex in Robbinsville, which began a decade ago, stands as a model of effective negotiation. On one side was BAPS: well prepared, creative and the epitome of neighborliness. On the other, the Robbinsville planning board and greater community, which acted out its commitment to welcoming diversity. This was not your typical planning board application. The Shikhardbaddh mandir, a traditional structure built to thousands-year-old specifications from an ancient Hindu religious text, is constructed entirely of hand-carved stone and held together by ball and socket joints. “The Mahamandir was something no one could completely grasp. After all most people have never seen anything like it,” wrote Hari Patel, project administrator for BAPS, in an email approved by key players in the project. “Therefore, to ensure some level of confidence, the organization took time in educating both township staff and consultants in a detailed manner of the religious requirements, typical materials used and the manner in which construction occurs,” See BAPS, Page 12
Dan Schuberth, Ruchi Khera, Chhavi Khera, John Finnegan and Sylvia Butler pick up around the Town Center lake as part of the Robbinsville Clean Team.
It’s easy being clean Clean Team takes time out to keep town tidy By eRin kameL The Robbinsville Clean Team, an action-based monthly initiative to clean up the town, urges residents to get in on the fun. The grassroots effort began just six months ago. A group of residents decided they would turn their individual attempts to keep their streets clean into a joint initiative for Robbinsville. “I just got tired of seeing trash,” said John Finnegan, who launched the effort after con-
stantly finding cans and bottles floating in Town Center’s lake while on his walks. Finnegan, a Robbinsville resident for 18 years, created a post on the Robbinsville Facebook page, asking residents if they would be interested in meeting at the gazebo by the lake to exchange ideas. The Robbinsville Clean Team was born. “It’s certainly enriching,” said Ruchi Khera, a banker who commutes from Robbinsville to New York City. “From an individual perspective, it might seem like a big task but when a few of us get together, it’s doesn’t seem that daunting.” Robbinsville is a relatively
clean town, Finnegan said. But township crews can’t be everywhere. And when trash accumulates in certain areas, residents become frustrated. The Clean Team has the town’s littering behavior down to a science. They’ve figured out the three main reasons for the garbage on the streets. Some people don’t properly cover their recycling cans on windy pickup days. Some people are messy or forgetful and will leave wrappers and bottles by the lake. Then, there are the people who actively throw trash or cigarette butts out their car windows. So, the members of the Clean See CLEAN, Page 9
A new addition to Robbinsville Township will solidify a one-mile stretch of Route 33 as Bankers’ Row. Already home to six banks, the portion of Route 33 from where it joins Nottingham Way in Hamilton Square to where it splits with Main Street will welcome yet another financial institution. A new Chase Bank is well underway at Route 33 and Park Street, next to Berkshire Bank. The branch should be open by the end of the year, said Hal English, Robbinsville Township community development director. The concentration of banks is surprising for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that three—Berkshire, Chase and, in the former Roma Bank headquarters, Investors—now occupy prime real estate in the heart of the township’s Town Center. What was originally billed as a walkable, livable mini city now has as many banks and real estate offices as it does places to eat. “Would I have loved to see a restaurant there in Town Center?” English said. “Absolutely.” English was quick to add, however, that the owner of the Chase property also owns the land directly behind it on Park See BANK, Page 10
Academy Dental CHILDREN
& ADULTS
Complete Dentistry for the Whole Family
AcademyDentalNJ.com
1179 NEWARK, NJ SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 10
CALL TODAY! 609-256-6555 State of the Art Facility • Walk-Ins / 24 Hour Emergency On Call Accepting Most Insurances • Game Room with X-Boxes See our ad on page 11