Vernon council votes to resume Black Creek upkeep

VERNON — The Township Council on Monday stepped in to settle a dispute related to mowing maintenance of the local Black Creek historic site.
In a 3-2 vote, the Council asked Mayor Harry Shortway to direct Department of Public Works employees to resume upkeep of the landmark though Shortway had recently instructed mowing should cease on the majority of the state-owned land there.
The issue was raised in public session by resident and Vernon Township Historical Society President Jessi Paladini. Paladini blasted the move as a destructive assault on an “archaeological gem” and noted the change had forced the Society to cancel all of its summer educational programs scheduled to take place at Black Creek.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Black Creek site spans 40 acres of meadow, woodlands, and a stream. Thousands of artifacts, including spear heads and stone tools, have been found on the grounds, and the location is believed to have served as a significantly center of Native American life, according to the New Jersey Historic Trust.
Shortway argued his direction to cease mowing the meadow at Black Creek came as a trade off for increased maintenance attention to other township parks, including the veterans memorial. Shortway said the slack at Black Creek should be picked up by the state, which owns the land anyway.
“The state can take care of their own property,” he said.
But Council members Dick Wetzel, Sandra Ooms, and Patrick Rizzuto disagreed, and approved a measure asking Shortway to reinstate upkeep of the site. In particular, they cited the short amount of time — around one hour — mowing of the site would take, and its significance as a historic and cultural landmark.
“As a history teacher for 35 years in the Vernon School District, I would make the suggestion to the mayor, since he is also a former history teacher and loves history as I do, to please reconsider,” Wetzel commented. “By neglecting this area we are neglecting our culture.”