McCormac announces new township initiatives Twp. will address crime, bring in colleges, open historical museum BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer WOODBRIDGE - Reducing crime, creating a college hub, and creating a historical museum are among the new initiatives that Mayor John E. McCormac announced during his State of the Township address on Jan. 22. "Even though the township's crime rate had decreased by 14 percent according to the state police uniformed crime report, the crime rate fluctuates," he said. McCormac started to reach out to apartment complex owners with the idea of a criminal background check program for incoming potential tenants. "We plan to work with the apartment complex owners on ways to create better lighting … we want the apartment complexes to become less attractive to the people that may do harm to the township," he said. "Crime is not a major concern in the township, but I believe this is in the best interest for the township toward crime." The mayor said the program is on a volunteer basis and hopes all apartment complexes would conduct the checks. The owners of the Forest View Apartment complex in Avenel and the Kensington Gardens Apartment complex in Fords are the first two apartment complexes that plan to work with theWoodbridge Police Department to conduct the criminal background checks. The background check program was one of several initiatives the mayor announced. Meanwhile, Stevens Institute of Technology is planning to open a satellite office in the Hess Building, with an initial program to assist Hess employees in obtaining college and graduate credits. The college will join the three other colleges - Berkeley, Centenary and Georgian Court - that already have satellite campuses in the township. "We are looking to expand the Stevens education program and hope in the future to group the campuses near each other to create a college town … we have a good head start," said McCormac. Along the lines of education, the mayor also said his administration is working with the school administration to create a college fair for high school students and create more sports options for middle school students. The mayor also announced that the township, working with Frank and Audrey LaPenta is in the process of making the building on 71 Main St., which is next to and owned by the United Methodist Church, a historic museum. Frank is the chairman of the Woodbridge Township Historical Association Monument Committee. "Woodbridge is the oldest township in the state," said McCormac. "President GeorgeWashington slept here.Most of the township's history has been in people's basements …" The mayor said the museum might not be open for 2008, since the process is in the early stages, but he said there would finally be a historical museum in the oldest township in the state.