The Personal Injury Attorney in Allendale, NJ, You Can Trust

ALLENDALE

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NorthJersey.com

ALLENDALE — Four years after it was plastered over, the borough's centennial mural is about to be resurrected.

A multi-stage project to create a new mural will begin next week under the supervision of resident sculptor Simon Rigg, said Mayor Amy Wilczynski.

"The Allendale mural project will result in a magnificent and unique piece of art," Wilczynski said in a message to residents on the borough website. "This is an exciting project to be a part of Allendale history."

The original mural was designed by art director George Takayama. It was painted by volunteers on the side of a retail/apartment building at 83-89 W. Allendale Ave., in the central business area, as part of the borough's 1994 centennial celebration. Over time it had become cracked as a result of the shifting brick wall under the plaster the mural was painted on. The mural was covered when the wall was repaired and replastered in December 2019.

Wilczynski was on the council at the time and encouraged suggestions for a mural replacement. However, the COVID-19 shutdown postponed the project, which is just getting off the ground now.

"Ed Kalpagian of State Farm owns the building and Frank Tommaso owns the land," Wilczynski said. "They are both very accommodating and in support of this project."

Rigg is proposing a ceramic bas-relief three-dimensional mural in which kilned and enameled clay animals and birds are affixed to glazed painted panels that are attached to the wall.

"These are more weatherproof, and can be removed and preserved in the event further building work is required," Rigg said.

The first stage, scheduled for next week, will be the molding in clay of various fish, turtles, birds and insects native to the borough's 107-acre Celery Farm nature preserve. The work will be done by Hillside School's 91 third graders during art classes.

"These will later be colored and enameled, and eventually glued to the painted panels," Rigg said. "Students at Northern Highlands will later be involved in painting the murals and larger animals."

Allendale historian Fred Litt provided input for the mural's elements, which are similar to the original, but not exactly the same. Those included the borough clock at the intersection of Myrtle and West Allendale avenues, the circa-1760 Fell House on Franklin Turnpike, the Allendale Bar & Grill, Highlands Presbyterian Church, the borough train station, the Memorial Park monument, the Grand Stand Field at Allendale Recreation Park, Crestwood Park and elements of the Celery Farm.

Rigg is hoping the mural, which he called a "large, complicated project," will be in place by June.

ALLENDALE

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NorthJersey.com

Blame it on the water or an alignment of the planets — no one can say what is responsible for the astounding 11 sets of twins in this year's Northern Highlands graduating class of 340 students.

Principal Joe Occhino called it near-unique in the history of the regional high school, which serves students in Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Saddle River and Ho-Ho-Kus.

"This group of twins is certainly a record-breaker for Highlands," Occhino said Wednesday. "This sensational group is truly a microcosm of what the Class of 2023 represents — unique, special, fun-loving and confident! I am honored to be their principal."

Interviewing 22 high school seniors at once would be a challenge on any day, but on the last day of classes the group was additionally distracted by signing yearbooks, which include a two-page spread on the twins because the occasion was so momentous. A spontaneous chorus of "Sweet Caroline" erupted among the students between classes as they waited for slow-moving brothers and sisters to arrive.

None of the identical twins will admit to switching classes while growing up to fool their teachers.

There was general consensus that an overarching advantage of being twins is two-for-one privileges: two sets of phone calls for snow day closings, and two sets of tickets for graduation. A general disadvantage is that the keys of the family car are always missing, or that whoever drove the car last left it in the driveway with no gas. Also that one twin is always being compared to the other.

From there, opinions diverge on the best part of making people see double.

"Someone always has your back," Tom Scornacchia said about twin sister Sarah.

"You always know somebody the first day of school," Anthony Gentile said of twin brother Kyle.

Highlands apparently makes no effort to keep the pairs separated. Justin and Roman Dario said they had five classes together this year.

"Yes, but I did all the homework," Roman said, while Justin attempted to administer a half-nelson wrestling hold. "Don't tell anyone."

Among the disadvantages: impromptu clothes sharing.

"You miss a bunch of sweatshirts," said Juliana Lavino. Brother John denied that any such borrowing took place.

Whether the twins will stay close or go their separate ways in college got diverse answers. Andre Johnson said he was headed to Penn State while brother Gabe would be relatively close at Lafayette, also in Pennsylvania. On the other hand, Olivia Flynn is headed for Virginia Tech while sister Arden is going to the University of Georgia. Isabel Padilla chose Savannah College of Arts and Design in Georgia while brother Tommy will attend High Point University in North Carolina.

As the students departed for their classes, Tommy stayed behind to emphasize that telepathy between twins is "very real." And what does Tommy think was in the water that produced so many twins?

"Lead," Tommy said without hesitation.

The twins are:

Graduation at the school is June 22.

Editor's note: The twin experience is not unique for this school as there were 16 sets of twins in the class of 2021.

LOCAL

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NorthJersey.com

An Allendale fire captain is suing the town and several officials, accusing them of violating the election process for Fire Department officers and violating state discrimination laws.

Michael Pini, a 26-year-old first captain with the borough who joined in 2013 as a 16-year-old, filed suit in state Superior Court on June 13. In his lawsuit, Pini said he was denied a promotion to assistant chief despite being elected by his fellow firefighters.

Named in the suit are the borough, the Fire Department, Police Chief Michael Dillon, Fire Chief David Baez and Allendale director of operations Ron Kistner. Raymond Wiss, Allendale's borough attorney, said they had not yet been served with the lawsuit.

Firefighters in the Allendale Fire Department, including the chief, vote on whom to put in company positions such as assistant chief and first captain. According to the borough code, each election is held at the firehouse during an annual meeting in November, and whoever receives the most votes is elected to those positions. The positions are then confirmed by the Borough Council.

Allendale has a volunteer fire department, but there are stipends. As first captain, Pini received a stipend of $1,200, and for the assistant chief post, it would have been $4,000.

Pini said he is apolitical and is not actively involved in politics but that he is viewed as someone who does not support the mayor or the borough's elected and appointed officials. Pini alleges the borough did not abide by the election result because he was not "sufficiently loyal to [the defendants'] political aspirations."

He said this is one of the reasons he was denied the promotion to assistant fire chief.

The defendants "were interested in denying a younger promoted person of a position that they preferred went to an elderly candidate who did not win the election," the suit alleges.

Pini additionally accuses the other candidate of having a "highly questionable background and history," which led to his termination from the Department of Public Works several years ago.

The lawsuit says that in early 2023, Pini was notified that his election as assistant chief wouldn't be honored and officials were not going to change the table of titles. Pini said the borough's and other defendants' decisions threatened his promotion and one other person's promotion to first captain.

"The notification made clear that the plaintiff and other individual affected were required to immediately embrace their demise and agree to stay on [the Allendale Fire Department] in their present positions or they were to be terminated from employment," the suit says.

'Falsely claimed' there would be no promotions

Pini said he couldn't get a vote for confirmation and that the defendants "falsely claimed" there would be no promotions in 2023.

Then, without warning, in April 2023, someone else was named assistant chief, a person who was not on the ballot, hadn't been in the running for the position and made "denigrating remarks" about Pini and the Fire Department after the election, the lawsuit says.

"This is a total evisceration of the election process that cannot be tolerated," said Eric Kleiner, Pini's attorney, noting that it would not go "unchallenged."

The suit says naming someone else as assistant fire chief showed the communication about no promotions to be "false and untrue."

Kleiner said the promotion to assistant fire chief is a "gateway for future promotions," and the suit says Pini is being robbed of the chance to be voted chief, since he must first be the assistant chief.

Says bullying incident never investigated

Pini alleges that borough officials are retaliating against him for a 2022 complaint regarding workplace harassment and bullying, an incident that he says was never investigated. Pini said he was treated with hostility instead and there was no action taken to provide "remedial relief." The details surrounding the bullying are not detailed in the lawsuit, but Kleiner said they should have been investigated.

The suit says this complaint is just one of the reasons behind the denial of promotion.

Pini is seeking damages of an unspecified amount.

White-tailed deer can be found all over the state of New Jersey, from fields to forests to backyards. They are described by New Jersey Fish and Wildlife as a "major component of the landscape throughout all but the most urbanized areas of the state."

Though the animals are a common sight, one buck has gained the attention of many residents in a Bergen County town for its bright white coat. This deer, which an Allendale resident has named Pete, is most likely a piebald.

Piebald deer stand out from most white-tailed deer due to their peculiar coat, which has varying amounts of white fur, from some on the legs or sides to almost entirely white, Fish and Wildlife says. This coloration is the result of an inherited genetic trait, which also can cause distinct physical conditions such as skeletal or internal organ deformities.

They are often confused with albino deer, but piebald deer have some brown fur and brown eyes. True albino deer, with pink eyes and white hooves, are extremely rare.

Piebald deer are also pretty rare, making up less than 1% of the population, Fish and Wildlife says. However, they can be more common on a local basis.

Pete the piebald deer

Allendale resident James Molzan has been keeping an eye on a local piebald deer for a few years now, watching him develop from a youngster to an eight-point buck. A self-described outdoorsman and longtime hunter, Molzan estimates the deer, which he has named Pete, to be at least 250 pounds.

"I'm on the road about 100 miles in a day. I live in Allendale. That's where he lives, and I see him quite a bit. I named him Pete the piebald," Molzan said. "There's different areas where he hangs out, and he sticks out like a sore thumb because he's white ... It's pretty interesting. He's a beautiful animal."

Pete's name has caught on around town over the last couple of years, Molzan said. His neighbor Kelly Cusato, who has lived in town for about 11 years, echoed that statement, saying the name Pete has taken off among Allendale residents.

"It's really cool when you see him, because everybody just runs and takes pictures and looks up the meaning of 'piebald,'" said Cusato, who typically sees Pete a couple of times a month. Though he tends to hang out near Brookside School, he occasionally makes his way into Cusato's yard, mingling with her resident herd of white-tailed deer.

"He lifts up your spirits. It makes you happy to see him," Cusato said. "It also kind of stresses me out because of the traffic and the deer. I don't want anything to happen to him. The people love to see him."

Molzan, too, worries about Pete's safety, as some hunting is allowed in the area.

Elsewhere in the state, a pair of piebald deer named Snowflake and Winter had their moment in the spotlight in 2022 after gaining attention from the residents of Eatontown.

Pete is the second piebald deer that Molzan, an Allendale resident for 37 years, has seen in the area. About 10 years ago he saw a white doe hanging around his house. He typically sees Pete at least once a week.

"A lot of people see him, a lot of people talk about him and take pictures, so it's kind of neat," Molzan said. "It's a neat little thing going on."