With Little Warning, Berkeley Heights Council Moves to Dissolve Volunteer Recreation Commission

There’s no trust in a local governing body that brings serious business to residents with little warning, just as summer is kicking off and as the country is beginning the celebration of its 250th birthday.

Ordinance 2026-15, if passed, will dissolve the Recreation Commission and establish a Recreation Department within the Township –months after Varnerin stepped down from her role and was given a paid position to manage the CMS Project. The BH Recreation Commission was established in 1957 and has been operating as a volunteer group since then.

NJ21st received reliable source information that the proposal to abolish the Commission was relayed to members earlier today, Friday, June 25.

The work volunteers have been able to do, and quite well, for decades is now being moved toward a paid Township department, likely connected to the Varnerin-Devanney legacy project at Lower Columbia.

In the absence of any recent minutes from Recreation Commission meetings, how exactly this decision was made and how the budget is being re-worked to allow for salaries for recreation employees is, at the very least, deeply concerning.

I have emailed the Township Administrator, Clerk and Council members for clarification on how this decision was made, who was involved in the decision-making process and what budget cuts were made and where to allow for the creation of a new department and hiring of employees, again, for work that has been done by volunteers.

The last line of questioning takes on more significance when you consider the current level of Township debt and the number of questions and concerns raised by residents during Council Meetings not only about the Lower Columbia project but other areas of spending as well.  During the last meeting one resident asked pointed questions about the library while another questioned why the Bill List was not available prior to the meeting.

It’s also important to note, along with the timing – this item is included with a host of other significant items- Prohibiting Data Centers, Land Use clarifications, capital improvements along with a conference session that lists four items.

The NJ21st team also has not received a response regarding questions raised by the DEP in relation to the land lease agreement, which did not receive approval through the proper channels, or about some specific land usage areas for revitalization.

And if you’re one of the residents of BH at the end of your last bit of patience with the Peppertown revitalization project, starting yet another “land improvement” project of far greater magnitude, when the Town is having issues with finishing this one, may seem like a step in the wrong direction at this time.

We will be providing an update on the rest of the agenda prior to the 30th.

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