Silence sirens in Cranbury forever

[Richard Moody]

[Guests]

[Richard Moody]

[Jeff M.]

I feel the opposite Richard and you were given another reason here on this forum that the siren provides an additional layer of alert to a call. I am sure you have been given several other reasons. After all you said you were given no reasons and then after being called out came up with two. The issue is that the reasons you are given you disagree with so therefore in your view are invalid. To others they are valid.

I want the siren, I live here year round, I have a home I own and I want the safety knowing that should I have an emergency then as many volunteers as possible are aware. I do not want to rely simply on pagers or cell phones. Of course if you want to personally fund a department where the staff is at the station 24 hrs a day ready to respond then I'll support your position. All it takes is a few million dollars a year.

What I don't understand is if you don't like the sirens, don't like the way Mr. Ingeneri parks his car on his property and are so upset about these things that will not change then why are you here still?

[Been here a while]

I at one time I too lived right next to the siren. Even my newborn at the time would sleep through it. It wasn't a "bother." When I was younger I used to love to ride my bike down to the firehouse to watch the trucks leave for a call. "How did I know there was a call?" you ask, the siren. It is a little bit of Cranbury that makes it special and holds a place in my heart. You may even say it's historic. Isn't that why you live here now?

[Loud]

I live on Main Street near the fire house and the siren is too loud and never should have been moved to its current location. It would have been nice if the town council had asked if we thought it was a good location before moving it from the water tower a few years back.

[longtimer 2]

The siren used to be at the fire house years ago. It was moved to the water tower in the early 90's. When the tower came down there was no place else for it to go. The TC at the time did discuss it. I too live on S. Main near the fire house and can say I rarely hear it. Why? For the same reason people who live near trains don't hear it, I tune it out. Now, if it was a focus for me sure I probably would hear it.

I can say I too used to ride my bike to watch the trucks leave when I heard the siren. Good memories.

[No Choice]

"I live on Main Street near the fire house and the siren is too loud and never should have been moved to its current location. It would have been nice if the town council had asked if we thought it was a good location before moving it from the water tower a few years back."

The only reason it was moved was due to the removal of the water tower. I'm sure the Fire Company and the Town Council would have loved to keep both in the old location.

[observer]

Mr. Moody here's what I've read from the various posts.

First you said no one has offered any reason to you for why the sirens are maintained. Then when multiple people contradicted you on that based on past facts, you restated that you have been given no reason you deem worthy. Since you’re basically saying your subjective opinion differs from others in the Township, what exactly are you expecting? That if you are noisily and persistent enough (ironic given your complaint) others will bend to your opinion? Even if that’s the case, why pretend to be “reasonable” and say your open to hearing the reasons if you already have and have rejected them? It seems like you are ironclad in your opinion and aren’t open to changing it, so don’t undermine your credibility by pretending you’re just waiting for a reasonable discussion. More likely you are trying to find opportunities to debate with anyone who tries.

Putting all the various other reasons aside, what I’ve read here is that we have a 100% volunteer fire department with no full-time professionals and that our department is smaller in personnel than most if not all of the other Township’s you mentioned. You also seem to have cherry-picked your examples since there are other Township’s that still use a siren. At least one of the volunteers who relies on the siren commented here that they may not hear or feel the vibration of their phone sometimes. I’m not a volunteer fire fighter but I have definitely missed calls and texts when I didn’t hear, didn’t feel the vibration or was simply out of range (despite being at my house which usually is in range – cellular service is not consistent or perfect, and no one with a straight face could suggest otherwise). So if we have a very thin base of volunteers who might be available to respond to a call at any given time, why would we risk safety or property damage by denying ourselves every opportunity to make sure they get the call right away? The system has worked for decades, it is preferred by the people volunteering and it is acceptable by most of the residents. Or perhaps your lack of empathy comes from not actually owning a property in the Township. I guess it's not your problem.

You may not like the reason, as you are inclined to like no reason that doesn’t result in your personal desire, but that’s not the same as it not being valid. The fact that you continue to repeat the same assaults, pretending your questions haven’t been asked and answered multiple times, and freely throw insults at people along the way, frankly makes you a bully. I suspect possibly a narcissist too, but I’ll reserve judgment. And this isn’t about suppressing your free speech, which you have continued to exercise here, at meetings and in the papers. This is about calling it out for what it is – bullying and self-obsession. You clearly only think about yourself and are baffled that anyone else wouldn’t inherently agree with you.

Good luck with that and a happy holiday to you.

[interesting]

It appears Mr. Moody has a history of complaining about wherever he lives. I love how he raves about Cranbury here, as opposed to his editorial last year in the Press where he basically tried to insult almost every business in the town with his rant about all the things wrong with the town. I guess the grass is always greener wherever he isn't at the moment and he's probably not content unless he has some crusade to fight...

From WWPInfo.com...

"After 26 years as property tax payers in West Windsor with endless letters written about the appalling state of the Route 571 Corridor in Plywood Junction, my wife and I have finally given up and thrown in the towel.

We have sold our house in Sherbrooke Estates and moved to Cranbury. For us, no more blighted gas stations, ugly banks, ridiculous railroad roundabout (already repaired for the third time), conspicuous overhead wires and character-less realty offices.

No more boarded up abandoned stores in urgent need of demolition and no more derelict Ellsworth Centers and decaying empty Acmes. Yes — 26 years of great schools and parks but little else to show for taxes spent. Certainly not the time and money wasted by the mayor in bickering and fighting over the pie-in-the-sky Village Transit Center which hopefully will never come to pass.

As many people know, Plywood Junction is more than a ghastly eyesore — it’s an embarrassment — with little being done to rectify this disgraceful state. The Mayor’s indifference to the decay is shameful and the dreaded Village Transit Center will bring overcrowding in the schools, further traffic snarl ups, and even greater delays at the station, the roundabout, and the bridge. This white elephant has got to be stopped — now.

But oh for bucolic Cranbury! Where birds do sing and a brook babbles from a tranquil lake. Where children ride bikes in peace and good citizens stroll down sylvan sidewalks for a glass of wine, a pot of tea, or a stack of pancakes. And perhaps a scoop of ice cream on an idle summer’s evening.

Cranbury — where history has been respected, trails meander through the fields and two ancient churches chime their bells and dominate the skyline. Cranbury — which offers all that the Junction has failed to provide. And now my wife and I can safely avoid the Junction’s mess as we go about our business in Princeton and Trenton — passing on the way through pretty Plainsboro whose attractive shops, excellent restaurants, and beautiful library leave Plywood Junction sprawling in the dust.

Perhaps the poet Rupert Brooke had Cranbury in mind when he wrote “Yet stands the Church clock at ten to three? And is there honey still for tea?” He certainly wasn’t thinking of Princeton Junction.

Richard Moody

North Main Street, Cranbury"

[happy]

The last post says it all...

[MR complainer]

HAHA - sorry mr complainer - I mean MOODY!!! Sorry that your perfect cranbury has a fire siren - now that you are out of "plywood junction" how do you like living in the noise pollution town?? I think you should go find somewhere with your wife in the woods - then maybe things will be "perfect" for you!!!!!

[Enough Moody]

Mr. Moody,
Please do us all a favor and pick up your stakes and "Move Moody."
Many have told you so in person, so do it.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Wherever you go, there you are.

[Fed Upp]

[observer]

At least, Mr. Moody signed his name. Those anonymous posts attacking him are not fair and should be ignored.