ROOSEVELT — While certain borough issues continued to divide public opinion in 2009, other events last year drew residents closer together than ever.

Borough officials again had to wrangle with decisions regarding the yeshiva and the water system, but the weight of those issues paled in comparison to that the community bore when 19-year-old Emily Silverstein was found slain at Gettysburg College. Residents banded together in support of the Silverstein family, but tragedy didn’t solely act to unify the town in 2009. Residents also took time to unite in celebrating the unique town, showcasing their homes and talents in “Welcome Sound: Audio Art in Roosevelt Homes.” Here’s a look back at some of the top stories of 2009.

Council President Robert Silverstein started the year vocalizing the need for a new borough administrator, since William Schmeling resigned from the position in the middle of 2008.

Neighbors Mark Zuckerman and David Herrstrom appeared on an episode of New Jersey Network (NJN)’s “State of the Arts” in January to take viewers behind the-scenes of their new opera, “The Outlaw and the King.”

In March, the First Aid Squad received a Federal Emergency Management Agency in the amount of $118,750 to buy a new ambulance to replace its aging 1987 rig.

Residents were happy to discover in April that they no longer had to drive out of town to borrow a book or use a public computer lab. Roosevelt Public School Principal Shari Payson and the PTA collaborated to open the school library to community members on Thursday evenings.

Hundreds of friends and family members attended the memorial service for Emily Silverstein on April 13 at the Roosevelt Public School. Those in attendance celebrated the Rooseveltian’s life and accomplishments. A sophomore anthropology major and English minor at Gettysburg College, Emily was also studying

Arabic and planning to study abroad in Morocco. Described by her peers as a fierce yet gentle revolutionary with a passion for politics and activism, she served as co-president of the Peace House, where she lived, started her college’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, and advocated for Amnesty International and Free the Children. Kevin

Robert Schaeffer, 21, of Oley, Pa., was charged with the criminal homicide of Emily, his former girlfriend.

In May, the borough found out it would not receive a state grant to help pay for refurbishing its 72-year-old water tower. Councilman Jeff Ellentuck reported that refurbishing the tower would cost $540,000 and that the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust Fund (NJEITF) would lend 75 percent of the cost of the project to the borough at no interest. He said the borough would have to borrow the remaining 25 percent at market rate interest.

During “Welcome Sound: Audio Art in Roosevelt Homes” on May 30, visitors from near and far explored cutting-edge audio art works created by established and emerging artists that were used to transform spaces throughout town. The tour featured installations in 13 homes and six public spaces.

In June, the council authorized a $565,000 bond ordinance to pay for repairs for the borough’s 72-year-old water tower. Councilman Daniel Hoffman cast the sole dissenting vote. The bond would cover the costs of rehabilitating the water storage tank, including removing existing paint, repairing the concrete base, rewelding joints, coating interior and exterior systems, and installing cathodic protection to prevent metal corrosion. The bond would also cover water treatment plant upgrades including the replacement of doors, windows and fencing, installing exterior security lighting, and replacing booster pumps and filter media.

Attorneys for Yeshiva Me’on Hatorah and the borough of Roosevelt went back and forth at a July 14 Planning Board meeting at a packed Borough Hall regarding the use of 28 Homestead Lane as an illegal dormitory for the school.

At a continuation of the hearing on July 28 in the Roosevelt Public School, Dave Lesser from the state Department of Community Affairs’ Division of Fire Safety stated that upon inspection of the home, he saw 30 kids eating breakfast at a group of long tables in the downstairs portion of the home. On the next level of the home he reported seeing 11 beds arranged in five rooms. Lesser also said he saw commercial kitchen equipment in the home with no fire suppression system.

Silverstein formally resigned his position on the governing body in July. In his resignation letter, he stated that it had been an honor and pleasure to serve the community with the council members but he would not be able to return to council and committee work after his family’s recent tragedy. Before his daughter’s untimely death, Silverstein had already opted not to run for a third term on the council. Tom Curry, who the Democratic Party chose to run for Silverstein’s seat in the general election, was appointed to take his place on the council in September.

The borough proposed a municipal budget over $1 million, totaling $15,274 more than the 2008 budget.

The Superior Court of New Jersey Monmouth County Law Division ruled July 30 that the Roosevelt Planning Board did not violate its discretion when reversing the borough zoning officer’s decision that Yeshiva Me’on Hatorah was not required to apply for a variance in order to continue to operate on the Homestead Lane synagogue property. The court said the yeshiva is required to apply for a variance in order to continue to operate on congregation’s property.

In the November general election, incumbent Arlene Stinson won re-election to the Borough Council with 247 votes, and Curry earned a seat with 268 votes.

New Jersey Superior Court Judge Lawrence Lawson, sitting in Freehold Nov. 17, ruled that Yeshiva Me’on Hatorah could continue operating in the Homestead Lane synagogue with 31 students until June 28, 2010, pending an appeal of a decision he made earlier this year that the school must file a variance application to continue operating in the synagogue. After June, the yeshiva must reduce its student population to no more than 12 students, Lawson said.

The decline in the real estate market led tax assessor Michael Ticktin to declare a 20 percent across-the board reduction in land values to avoid the large number of tax appeals Roosevelt might have to defend. At the Nov. 23 Borough Council meeting, Ticktin told the governing body that due to the general decline in property values, they are now in a situation where they are vulnerable to tax appeals, which the town must defend and pay the difference if found in the appellant’s favor. He said the best way to deal with it is the 20 percent reduction.

The borough lost town historian Art Shapiro, who died at the age of 70 in Tucson, Ariz., where he moved in 2008.