Boro, complex owner clash on security issue Council tells owner of Winding Woods to boost security BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer Sayreville officials met last week with the owner of the Winding Woods apartment complex in response to a recent homicide there and a petition by residents for added security. The meeting Friday morning was intended to be attended only by members of the Borough Council's Public Safety Committee, along with the police chief, and was to be closed from the public. However, Mayor Kennedy O'Brien had the meeting opened so that members of the public could attend, a move that council members said put the borough at risk of violating the state Open Public Meetings Act. "I don't know where his head is, buried in the sand somewhere," Councilman Dennis Grobelny said of O'Brien. "We are seeking solutions and we wanted this meeting closed. The mayor made it open and if it was [attended by] four council members, we would be in violation of the Sunshine Act." Councilman Rory Zach did not attend the meeting so that the governing body would not exceed the maximum number of officials allowed by state law to attend the unadvertised meeting. Grobelny directed his concerns to the mayor during the meeting. "I don't feel that the things we hoped to accomplish could be in a public meeting," Grobelny said. Councilman Stanley Drwal agreed and said that the borough procedure is to address technical issues at committee meetings so that the findings could be shared with the public at the next full council meeting. O'Brien said, however, that the public has a right to know the recommendations of the police department with regard to Winding Woods, and that residents should also be aware of any actions that Hillside Estates, which owns Winding Woods, would be taking in response to the report from police. Police Chief Edward Szkodny and Nathan Reich of Hillside Estates attended the meeting, and O'Brien said he was grateful that Reich was being proactive by meeting with borough officials. Winding Woods has 136 two-story buildings comprising a total of nearly 2,000 apartments. Reich said the 160-acre complex has more than 5,000 residents. The community is bordered by water on all sides except for its three entrances on Bordentown Avenue. "We patrol in there as much as we can," Szkodny said. Szkodny did not release details of the June 28 shooting death of 20-year-old Marquis Maing, in light of the ongoing investigation. Maing was killed while seated in a car in the Winding Woods parking lot. His 19-year-old girlfriend, who shared an Old Bridge residence with Maing, was also shot and injured. Police have not arrested the shooter. "A joint investigation is aggressively being conducted by the Sayreville Police Department and the [Middlesex County] prosecutor," Szkodny said. Reich, who noted that the shooting did not involve any Winding Woods residents, said he was the one who called for Friday's meeting. "We are in the business of providing clean, safe housing," Reich said. Though residents have complained publicly for months about criminal activity such as vandalism and violence at Winding Woods, O'Brien has disputed the idea that the community, which he described as middle class, has a high rate of crime. He said the complex houses 600 children who attend the borough's schools. The mayor noted that the street and parking lots in Winding Woods are privately owned by Hillside Estates, limiting the borough's powers in that area. Discussions have been held on establishing a police substation in the complex, and Reich said he would be open to the idea. However, O'Brien said the police have made it clear that building a substation at Winding Woods will not be necessary. "I don't think it is needed," O'Brien said. "It's not a high crime area," O'Brien added. "… I think the reality is far less [bleak] than the perception." Drwal disagreed and said that too many residents have raised concerns for the problems at Winding Woods to be dismissed. "Where there is smoke, there is fire," Drwal said. Police responded to 615 calls in the Winding Woods community since January, Szkodny said, and about 300 of those resulted in police reports that mostly centered around noise complaints and other less-severe issues. "Is that out of ordinary for a clustered population that size? No, it's not," Szkodny said. Despite reports from residents that litter was a problem at the complex, Szkodny said he and police Capt. Bruce Marcinczyk did not find a significant amount of debris or graffiti during their recent visit to the complex. However, he added that borough police would welcome enhanced security personnel at the complex. "Any increase in private security definitely would be a help," he said. The chief recommended that, due to the size of the complex, Hillside Estates should consider hiring a private firm to conduct a security survey of the complex. This action would benefit the complex from a liability standpoint in case a civil case were to be brought against Hillside Estates, he said. Security personnel should not be armed, Szkodny added, noting that armed security would be detrimental to police officers who respond to the area and might produce a civil liability for Hillside Estates. Armed security is not necessary, he added, since the majority of calls police receive are not related to severe crimes. "That is not a recommendation of ours," Szkodny said of hiring armed security. "We would not suggest that and we would be totally against that." The layout of the complex is a concern for law enforcement, he said, suggesting that Hillside Estates number its buildings on all sides so that those who respond to critical emergency calls can navigate quickly. "Dispatchers have to give directions directly to that building," Szkodny said. Officers have raised concerns that they could not give their precise location while on foot in the evening hours since the buildings are not labeled on all sides. Reich agreed to have additional signs posted on the apartment buildings. He also agreed to have directional signs put up, as well as signs that advise visitors that the private community is for residents and their guests only. "Signage is easy," Reich said. Drwal asked Szkodny for a comparison of statistics between Winding Woods and the rest of the borough. Szkodny replied that while he did not have comparative data, the borough generates between 22,000 and 23,000 police calls a year on average. Drwal noted, however, that these include traffic-related calls. He said the reason for the meeting was calls related to drug activity, violence and vandalism, which residents have complained about. Drwal brought up the petition signed by more than 200 residents calling for the complex to hire security. Reich said that one of the complex's two employees drives around the site every day. These employees, who rotate shifts, are advised to call the police when they see suspicious activity. "We have a security person only armed with a cell phone," Reich said. Drwal responded that residents have come to the governing body to complain about a lack of proper security. "The perception of the residents is that security is not adequate," he said. Reich said he lived in the community during the 1980s and never had a problem. "Maybe there are some areas where youth congregate," Reich said. Drwal recommended that Hillside Estates use security at critical times and in areas where problems have been reported, such as the basketball court. He said that he has been told by teens in the borough that drugs are sold at Winding Woods. "It's the elephant in the room," Drwal said. "Everyone distances themselves [from it], but it is not just a perception, it's a fact." When Reich responded by calling for a greater police presence at the complex, Drwal said the added security should be the responsibility of Hillside Estates. "We are not in the business of supplying security at private complexes," Drwal said. Grobelny also said he feels Hillside Estates should hire additional security. "I do feel that enhanced security will help a lot of things," Grobelny said. Reich said, however, that Hillside Estates and the residents of Winding Woods pay taxes to the borough for police services. "We are going to enhance the security on our own," Reich said, "but I think the ultimate responsibility falls on the police." "We pay a lot of taxes," he added, "and for that, we are entitled to the same protection as everybody else." Szkodny said he cannot guarantee that a police officer will be there every night, because high-priority calls such as accidents require the attention of patrol officers. However, he did say that patrols can give the complex extra attention. Reich said that Winding Woods residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity to the management office, even if they do so anonymously. He said he will meet with the chief of police again at the mayor and council's request.