Rumors that need clarification

Some residents are troubled by last Council meeting's disclosure that the taxpayers of Verona are funding trees at a private, member owned golf club. In order to verify the source of the concerns, I contacted Mr. James Thomas, director of Verona Public Library. He courteously provided me with a copy of the video recorded at June 15th Council meeting.

I watched the video with my family and found the part where Township Manager Joe Martin refers to extra trees planted by Verona that are not part of the roadway projects. You can watch that video here:


Furthermore, I contacted Deputy Mayor Jay Sniatkowski for clarification on this matter. Mr. Sniatkowski assured me that the town never purchased any trees for the Montclair Golf Course. And that Mr. Joe Martin used the town of Montclair and the golf course in reference to that specific storm and the devastation it caused in those areas along with the Afterglow area in town in which Verona spent 50K to replace lost trees. The Deputy Mayor emphasized that the township of Verona didn't spend a dime for golf course or Montclair trees.

Please contact Mr. Joe Martin if you have further questions. I think that it is important to clarify any rumor that may be circulating regarding this topic.