Reorg Meeting Will Celebrate County Planning Board's 60th

SOMERVILLE – The Somerset County Planning Board’s annual reorganization meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18, will celebrate 60 years of planning successes.

The program, which was rescheduled from last month due to inclement weather, will start at 6 p.m. in the third-floor freeholders’ meeting room of the county administration building at 20 Grove St.  The public is welcome.  Light refreshments will be served.

“The Somerset County Planning Board and staff are highly regarded throughout the state and the region and have received multiple recognitions and awards,” said Freeholder Director Patrick Scaglione.  “They have produced a long list of successful projects and initiatives over the years.  On behalf of the Freeholder Board, I congratulate them on their six decades of professional excellence.”

In addition to the presentation of the board’s Annual Land Development & Planning Awards, the meeting will feature talks by Planning Director Robert P. Bzik, AICP/PP, on “Celebrating 60 Years of Planning” and by Regional Plan Association Executive Director Thomas K. Wright on “Emerging Challenges Facing Our Region.”  Chairman Bernie Navatto Jr. will provide a recap of the board’s 2013 accomplishments and 2014 goals.

Awards will be presented to The Barns at Gladstone-Barn C; Stone Bridge at Raritan; the Somerset County Regional Center Plan Endorsement from the State Planning Commission; and “Invest Somerset, A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy,” managed by the Somerset County Business Partnership.   

Also this evening, a public hearing on the adoption of the Trends and Indicators Report as a component of the County Master Plan will be held.  This report, to be updated on a regular basis, comprises one of the information platforms upon which the updated Somerset County Strategic Plan and other county planning initiatives will be built.

For further information, call 908-231-7021 or email planningbd@co.somerset.nj.us  In case of inclement weather, call by 4 p.m. on Feb. 18 to find out the status of the meeting.