DUI Lawyers in Somerville, NJ

SOMERVILLE – The Downtown Somerville Alliance (DSA) has received a $150,000 grant from Main Street New Jersey, a program of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, to launch a beautification project in the county seat's downtown.

The project, which will begin in the summer and continue through May 2026, will focus on improvements to three of the most visible areas in the district: Division Street, Giardina Walkway, and the Main Street business corridor.

With this grant, the DSA will:

“This grant allows us to move forward with important placemaking work that will enhance our community’s shared spaces, support our small businesses, and elevate the experience for both residents and visitors,” said Olivia Manning, the DSA's executive director. “At a time when we are working through various transitions, this funding allows us to continue making progress, delivering real impact with strong long-term benefits.”

The project is consistent with the DSA’s ongoing work with Main Street America advancing the district’s “Asset Activation” strategy.

By improving underused public spaces and strengthening the connection between storefronts and streetscape, the initiative is intended to improve the visual appeal and economic health of the entire district.

Planning and coordination with designers, contractors, and business owners will begin in the summer with work in phases over the following months.

The DSA will evaluate the project through participation rates, visual improvements, waste reduction data, and community feedback.

The DSA is the nonprofit management organization for the Special Improvement District in Somerville with the mission is to foster an economically thriving downtown.

Email: mdeak@MyCentralJersey.com

SOMERVILLE - A former Teacher of the Year is suing the Somerville school district, claiming she was the victim of discrimination because the district did not accommodate the breastfeeding of her child as required by state law.

Courtney Grace, a high school English and Women's Studies teacher who was previously assigned to teaching fifth grade at Van Derveer School, filed the lawsuit in Somerset County Superior Court on March 20 alleging she was subjected to "derogatory" comments from school administrators.

Grace, who was Teacher of the Year in 2016, also alleges that her work schedule was "dictated in a manner that made it difficult, if not impossible for her to pump, eat lunch and maintain her breast milk supply to feed her child."

The school district has not yet filed a response in court to the lawsuit.

Superintendent of Schools Gary Lubisco said in an email, "We are unable to comment on pending legal matters. At this time, we have no further comment."

Grace, who began teaching in the district 15 years ago, had her third child in March 2023 and returned to work in June 2023.

When she was assigned to teach fifth grade on her return, Grace told administrators her new assignment could affect her ability to pump and express breast milk for her newborn. The district, according to the lawsuit, had previously accommodated Grace with a breastmilk pumping plan for her two other children.

But when the new school year started in September 2023, there was no plan that allowed her to pump and have enough time to eat her lunch, the lawsuit says, adding she had only 45 minutes to walk her students to recess, collect them from lunch, pump her breastmilk and have lunch.

In addition, according to the lawsuit, she was told to pump in a "designated pumping room" on the other side of Van Derveer School from her classroom.

Because of the time constraint, Grace decided to start pumping in her empty classroom, an arrangement that was "very stressful," the lawsuit says.

Grace met with Robert Reavey, the former Van Derveer School principal who now works in the central administration, and asked for 10-minute coverage from another teacher who would take her students to recess.

But that request was denied, according to the lawsuit, and she asked for another meeting with her union representative present. At that meeting, the lawsuit alleges, Reavey said, "why can't you pump and eat at the same time?"

Reavey then gave Grace an additional 15 minutes for the break and assigned another teacher to cover for her, but she would still have to use the designated pumping room at the other end of the school.

But that arrangement, the lawsuit says, still did not give Grace enough time to eat and have lunch "leading to increased stress and diminished breast milk supply."

In December 2023, according to the lawsuit, the stress of the schedule "drastically affected her emotional state and concurrently her breastmilk supply." She began supplementing her child with baby formula, which "she never planned to do."

In the following month, her breastmilk supply dropped significantly, and all of her frozen milk supply was gone.

She then met with Lindsay Frevert, then vice principal and now principal, about her situation.

But Frevert said the breastmilk supply was dropping because Grace was "getting older" and that other mothers used formula and those "kids are just fine," according to the lawsuit.

But then, Grace's child began rejecting all bottles of formula. Two months later, after Grace filed an Affirmative Action complaint, the district agreed to revisit her request for accommodation.

The new pumping schedule began March 14, 2024, a week from her child's first birthday which was when Grace's right to pumping coverage under law expired.

Email: mdeak@MyCentralJersey.com

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Almost a year since a tragic fire on Main Street in Somerville displaced 18 people and damaged multiple businesses, Mike's Courtside Kitchen will rise from the ashes.

"We are shooting for this summer," said Owner of Mike's Courtside Kitchen Connor DePace to Patch. "We just finished up the architect plans... So we are getting closer."

The restaurant at 2 W Main Street was severely damaged in the blaze on June 4, 2024. Since the fire, Amr A. Khodeer, 24, of Somerville, faces charges of two counts of second-degree aggravated arson.

Since the fire, Sushi Yokohama reopened in October and Savor Restaurant reopened this past June.

Working at Mike's Courtside Kitchen was DePace's first job after graduating from Somerville High School. DePace's dad also owned multiple restaurants growing up so it was only natural for him to purchase the business from Michael Ivers in August 2023.

Find out what's happening in Bridgewaterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Not even a year after taking over his first restaurant, DePace was hit with the devastating fire.

DePace said he was at the restaurant when the fire began. He was taking a catering order on the phone and smelled smoke, so he yelled back into the kitchen, "What's burning?!"

"And they're like, 'No, nothing.' So then maybe 10 seconds go by and I'm still taking the order, and I smell it again, and I kind of yell saying, 'Guys, something's burning!'," said DePace.

Once they realized King Tut was on fire, they evacuated, luckily with no one hurt.

"It was definitely a big blow, especially when you've just taken over the business," said DePace, who did his best to support his 15 employees during the closure.

Now, DePace is planning to come back to Somerville with a new interior design with exposed brick and a more focused menu on the favorites such as wraps, burgers, wings, breakfast, and smoothies.

The whole process was a lot but DePace said he is very excited to reopen.

"In the beginning, it's a lot to comprehend, and just the weight of everything with all the employees not working," said DePace. "It can seem a little daunting to go through the whole process, but now I am very excited, very happy, especially with the support we've gotten from my dad, past employees that were helping out, moving stuff. It definitely makes me excited to bring it back to our town and see all the locals again. That's really what excites me."

For more information, visit instagram.com/mikescourtside or facebook.com/mikescourtsidekitchen.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

SOMERVILLE – The borough Planning Board will continue a public hearing next month on the final phase of the transit village development on the former municipal landfill by the station on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line.

The board's next hearing on the proposal by Avalon to build the 243,365-square-foot, five-story building with 171 apartments and enclosed parking for 179 vehicles, including 31 spaces for electric vehicles, is scheduled for April 6.

The board began hearing the proposal on Feb. 26 but more testimony by Avalon's consultants will be heard in April.

At the Feb. 26 meeting, residents of the adjacent townhouse community developed by Pulte Homes told the board about parking problems in the neighborhood and Avalon residents not picking up after their dogs.

Mayor Brian Gallagher, who also sits on the Planning Board, acknowledged the neighbors raised a valid issue but said, “It's not an issue we can address at this time."

Gallagher explained that the Somerville Station development is private property and until the project is completed, the borough has limited jurisdiction.

The building, part of Phase 2 of the Somerville Station development, will be on 2.36 acres west of the building containing the Somerville Civic Center on the former parking lot for the train station.

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. had as of Sept. 30 a direct or indirect ownership interest in 305 communities containing 92,908 apartments in 12 states and the District of Columbia.

The townhomes at Somerville Station were developed by Pulte Homes, one of America’s largest homebuilding companies with operations in more than 45 markets throughout the country. The company is developing a senior citizen townhome development in Far Hills.

The Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements between the two developers and the borough resulted in $1.9 million in revenue for the borough, approximately 6.3% of the total borough budget of approximately $30 million.

Gallagher said the development has been in the works for two decades and the new apartment building is the final phase of the development. The new apartment building has been a part of the overall plan to transform the landfill into a revenue-producing site.

"This is not a building coming out of the blue," he said. "This has been in planning for two decades."

Gallagher also said the development will also include a park that will be "Somerville's own little Central Park."

Email: mdeak@MyCentralJersey.com