UNION COUNTY LOCALSOURCE LOCALSOURCE.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011— PAGE 19 City seeks to recoup funds from Covanta By Cheryl Hehl Staff Writer RAH WAY — The city is aggressively pursing what could amount to millions owed to it since 1998 by Covanta Energy, the com- pany that operates the waste incinerator for the county in Rahway. In March when Sunil Garg, the executive director of the Union County Utilities Authority, filed a $180 million federal law- suit against Covanta for fraud, claiming the company had been overtoiling the UCUA by $6 million a year in addition to gypping Rah- way out of the full amount they were owed as a host community, the city began meeting with Covanta and UCUA legal representa- tives. "There is some money owed to the city of Rahway that we are aggressively pursuing," City Administrator Peter Pelissier told the governing body at the June 15 City Council meeting. "We have undertaken a very strong stance on excess tonnage delivered to Rahway and we believe we have been successful," Pelissier said. "We are meeting with Covan- ta and the UCUA and we believe we are on the right track." The city administrator, though, stopped short of explaining how much money was involved or when it would be repaid. New Jersey law entitles municipalities that agree to host the construction and opera- tion of solid waste facilities — including resource recovery facilities like the UCUA — to receive monetary benefits, or host municipality benefits, from persons engaged in solid waste collection and disposal opera- tions at that facility. In the case of the UCUA, that would be Covanta. Garg's federal lawsuit contends that Cov- anta was well aware of its obligation to pro- vide Rahway with a portion of the monetary benefits they reaped from thesale of recycled materials. He alleged that this financial shortage added up to more than $500,000 a year since 1998. However, while Pelissier agreed the city is owed money, he also explained to the City Council that the new35-year lease extension agreement Covanta is striking with the UCUA and 14 member municipalities, will provide the city with additional longterm financial benefits. "The reduction in tonnage, which is $62 a ton now, will be reduced byanother $12 a ton for Rahway, or a savings of $168,000 a year," the city administrator explained, not- ing that would be a savings of one tax point per year. This reduction in tonnage fees is an actu- al savings of $15 a year for the average home assessed at $133,000. There is another benefit to the city because they serve as the host community. As a result of the new lease agreement, Rah- way will will receive an additional $150,000 a year until 2045. HEALTH & WELLNESS Hillside blood drive will be open to all The Hillside Community Blood Bank and the Hillside Board of Health in conjunction with The Blood Center of New Jersey will be hosting a blood drive on July 12 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Hillside Municipal Building, lower parking lot on the Hillside Avenue side in Hillside. You don't have to pre-register. Just come on this day and help pro- tect you andyour family by giving blood and save a life. You will receive a free cholesterol screening and a $10 Dunkin Donut gift card in appreciation of your blood dona- tion. You don't have to be a Hillside resident to donate blood. You may also get credit for any organization that is a member of the Blood Cen- ter of New Jersey. Seven local nurses receive awards in May Seven outstanding nurses at Trinitas Regional Medical Center received awards for their dedica- tion to their profession at the Nurs- ing Division's Excellence in Nurs- ing Practice Awards Reception. This year, 26 candidates were recommended for honors in the awards program. Winners are cho- sen based on nominations of co- workers and colleagues who select their fellow nurses for these distinct honors. The winners at the 2011 Awards Reception are: innovation winner Amelia Jordan of Roselle who works in the emergency depart- ment; leadership winner Denise Loneker of Roselle Park, also of the emergency department; mentoring winner Patricia Henn of Hillside who works in the labor and deliv- ery unit; 2011 Nursing Assistant of the Year, Patricia Ramirez of Eliza- beth who works in the emergency department; commitment to caring winner Ives Cabezas of Union who works in the oncology patient care unit; clinical care winner Jennifer Scannella of Rahway who works in intensive care and Trinitas Region- al Medical Center's New Point Campus Nurse of the Year winner Diane Barany of Avenel who works in the substance abuse out-patient unit of the department of behav- ioral health and psychiatry. The awards program and event are part of the medical center's observance of Nurses Week in May. Cardiac wing receives updates at hospital Cardiac patients and their fami- lies will appreciate the newly reno- vated 3C Telemetry Unit at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Rahway. In addition to a fresh new look, the 24-bed unit has a new patient and family lounge, energy- saving LED lighting and the latest telemetry equipment. An expanded nursing station has ample meeting space for physicians, nurses and case managers. In addition to the newly reno- vated cardiac unit, planned improvements to the hospital's car- diac program include new cardiac catheterization lab equipment and expanded services. 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Krause Matthew DiGiovanni Sarah Delair Cynthia DeMatos Robert Faller Thomas Folger Amanda Fillippone John Flynn Rachel Berzon-Fink Michael Farkas Xavuer Griffin Kaherine Greifeld Brianna Graciano Kristen Godsey Cora Halo Samantha Hoag Robert Haddad Alex Heucke Matt Hayes Nichole Hoffman Trevor Hertz Tyler Irwin MaryMtchael Jennings Lori Joseph Richard Johnstone Michael Jones Cassie Kinney Alexis Kalogianne Gary Kugler Chris Koehler Jackie LaBrutto Zachary Lulinsky-Levy Stacey Lopez Dena Leonelli Michael LaRose Nichole Layden Allesandra LoConte Thomas McLaughiin Melissa McKenna Adam Muldowney Kelly Merten Michael Mazza Frank Martino Jackie Monteagudo Evan Moulton Chris Moore DIPLOMATEOF with success and happiness. and Staff Lindsay Nalepa Charles Neri Joseph Neri Emily Naples Matt Orcutt Brian Petrucci Dan Pisauro Nolan Parker Rose Papandrea Thomas Price Travis Przbylski Kelsey Pinkham Andrew Pires Victor Pozsonyi Alexander Rodrigues Ashley Rozman Dalton Robbins Jessica Rozewski Olivia Rosenberg Andrew Schneider Connor Stevenson Julieanne Salerno Christine Shanahan Rebecca Shafer Evan Stevens Sarah Salermo Kevin Silvestri Kristen Schaarschmidt Belinda Schwartz Kevin Swan Megan Sawyer Margaret Trapani Kaitlin Tharaldsen Margaret Trapani Brian Zamorski Alex Bradbury-Wallard CRANFORD ORTHODONTICS FRANK W. KRAUSE, D.D.S., M.S. THE AMERICAN BOARD 118 CRANFORD, OF ORTHODONTICS NORTH AVUE WEST NEW JERSEY 07016 Telephone 908-272-5595 • Fax 908-272-5587 280217