Week in Review: Major Changes Coming to LV

Long Valley Patch learned about a bevy of changes being made to Washington Township in the coming weeks, months and years, and reported on as much of it as possible.

As always, if you’re looking for a full plate of news from the past week, go here. For the bigger headlines, continue reading.

At the beginning of the week, we published three stories about two new Long Valley land owners, whose visions could transform the township for years to come. Dr. Ron Weiss has purchased hundreds of acres of land to farm and create a homeopathic-style wellness center on West Mill Road. Just next door, Sean Campbell, a hedge fund manager who also bought hundreds of acres of land, will begin a hard apple cider orchard and operate it like a winery. To see how this is all going to shape up from an architectural and agricultural standpoint, go here.

Washington Township’s Office of Emergency Management has created a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) that will be made of volunteers. The focus of the group is to assist fire, first aid and police personnel during a disaster or emergency, like the ones Long Valley faced in 2011. To learn more about the group, and how one can take part, go here.

The West Morris Regional Board of Education’s meetings have been taped and broadcast since December, funded by private citizens. The board this week passed a resolution stating it would now accept donations from the public to fund those tapings. To find out more, go here.

The Washington Township Committee has tentatively approved to major budget items as requested by the fire and first aid departments. The Long Valley Fire Company is in need of a new fire truck, and the first aid squad has requested a new ambulance. Go here to find out more, and vote in the poll at the bottom of the article.

Finally, as the week wound down, the New Jersey Assembly approved a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Long Valley Patch probed this discussion with local clergy to get their opinion on the topic. To find out more, and weigh in with your thoughts, read this.

It was another great week in Long Valley, and we hope you enjoyed it.