On October 9, many residents came to speak out. Democratic Township Committee candidate Adam Subervi gave his perspective on why we need to hold firm and say no to warehousing here in Bernards Township.

Here is his public testimony:

Greetings everyone,

I’m Adam Subervi. I am a father to 4 sons, husband, an attorney, a veteran, a loyal public servant and very proud resident of Bernard’s Twp for over 10 years. I have to say how impressed I am by the citizenry of our town, many of whom we have heard from today —- teachers, doctors, engineers, physicists, crossing guards, retirees, teachers, and concerned citizens of all ages. Our town is truly an impressive group of people.

When I first moved to our town, I remember shopping for houses. My wife, a career educator was a teacher in nearby Bedminster, and we were in search of a community with stellar schools, safe and friendly neighborhoods, and a responsible citizenry. We looked at all of the neighboring towns, Mendham, Bernardsville, New Providence, Berkeley Hgts, etc. but none of those measured up to Bernard’s Twp.

I remember seeing people running and riding their bikes outside on a spring day, as we looked at homes… As a lifelong runner and physical fitness enthusiast, with great appreciation of the environment, I was excited about the possibility of joining this beautiful community.

My wife and at the time my young kids were also clear… that this town was the one they wanted to live in. After making several offers on homes (and like many others can probably relate, being outbid several times), our then relatively young family found a home.

And over the course of the ensuing 10 years, we enjoyed the many positive aspects of living in our town —- things like clean air, a safe community, and diverse citizenry filled with families from many different cultural backgrounds, religions and beliefs.

In fact, we love our town so much, that we convinced several friends and family members to join us over the last few years. And here we are, 10 years later, and we are down to 1 son at home. Our older sons having moved on to college and beyond.

This project worries me greatly. As the proud father of a 7th grader who will hopefully be attending Bernards Twp schools until he graduates from HS in a few years, and as the proud uncle of a kindergartner at Liberty Corner, who still has a ways to go, I am concerned with the danger this project presents to their safety, and that of the other children in this town. Many of whom cross roads like Mount Airy and Allen Rd every single day.

As a friend to the Seniors in our town, and as a son to elderly parents, I am concerned with the danger this project presents to the residents of our senior communities, many of whom already have limited mobility, and health/breathing issues, both of which will be exacerbated by the additional exhausts and other pollutants, should this project actually be completed.

As a conservationist, a lover of the environment and beauty of our town; I am greatly concerned with the effect this project will have on our environment

I won’t repeat what has been said over and over by nearly every person in this room. I won’t go over the painstaking detail about how harmful this project will be to our community. However, I will point out 2 very important facts:

(1) that nearly every time a truck breaks down or has a problem in town, our loyal law enforcement officers have to respond… taking them away from their other important responsibilities; and

(2) the shoulders on the roads in our town (especially those on Allen Rd and Mt Airy) are not nearly wide enough to accommodate a broken down tractor trailer.

I will also remind you of your responsibility as leaders and as public servants to our community: Leaders are those who earnestly devote their time and effort to maintaining the public safety of our community, which each of you has done. Leaders sacrifice time with their families in service of all of us. And we all thank you for all you have given to our community and continue to give to our community. Leaders are also those who take action in defense of their community. Leaders are those that do what is in the best interest of those who depend on them. And most importantly; Leaders understand that while You can delegate authority, you can never delegate responsibility for your actions or the repercussions of your actions.

I ask you to consider this, and I implore you all to deny the variance requested for this project, as it stands in stark contrast to the standard objectives of our town’s master plan and presents a significant danger to the health and safety of our community.

⁃   Thank you.