Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Councilman James Collander said almost half the accidents in Chatham Borough are caused by distracted drivers.
Drivers distracted by cell phones, grooming, eating or other activities while driving caused about half of all car accidents in Chatham Borough over the last three years, according to a report by Councilman James Collander at the Chatham Borough Council meeting Monday. Collander, the chair of the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Planning Committee, said of the 952 car crashes investigated in 2010, 2011 and 2012, 438, or 46.01 percent of those, were caused by distracted drivers, and most of those are distracted by their mobile phones. "There might be a few that are eating and grooming," Collander said, "but most people are on their phones." Texting while driving in particular hinders driving behavior, Collander said, as much as consuming four …
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Chatham Borough Council will vote on an ordinance that could require certain employees and volunteers to file financial disclosure statements.
The Chatham Borough Council will vote on an ordinance requiring a financial disclosure statement for certain appointed positions in the borough. If the ordinance passes, a disclosure statement will be required "for those appointed positions deemed 'local government officers,'" as defined under New Jersey state law. This includes the mayor, council members, anyone with the power to vote on ordinances or grant zoning variances—meaning members of the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment—and executives or confidential employees of the borough A full copy of the ordinance, the first to be introduced in 2013, may be found in the Photos & Documents section of this article. The council will also vote on an amendment to a lease agreement …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Police warned students against jaywalking, several months before boy was hit, report says.
As the Safe Routes to School Committee lobbies to create additional crosswalks and add sidewalks to streets near Chatham schools, one incident brings home the need for increased safety—and increased education. On Wednesday, Oct. 10, a 13-year-old boy was struck by a car while crossing Lafayette Avenue near Main Street outside the crosswalk. Multiple witnesses confirmed the boy was not using the crosswalk, according to a statement from Chatham Borough Police. Traffic Safety Officer Robert Sweetin spoke at several Chatham schools during April's Walk and Bike to School Week, including at Chatham Middle School. According to two articles which appeared in the Independent Press, Sweetin specifically walked students about the dangers of …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Principal Mary Quigley worked with St. Patrick School and Chatham Borough Police to improve conditions near the school.
Traffic and pedestrian safety at and around Washington Avenue School (WAS) is a big job. So over the summer, Principal Mary Quigley met with representatives from St. Patrick School, the School District of the Chathams' home office, Chatham Borough and the Chatham Borough Police Department to discuss ways to make the area safer for students and motorists. "[Traffic Officer] Robert Sweetin finally got us the sign for Watchung Avenue saying the speed limit is 20 miles-per-hour there now," Quigley said. "It's not even 25." Motorists exiting St. Patrick School onto Oliver Street will soon see a sign directing them to turn left only during school drop-off and pick-up times, according to Sweetin. This should redirect that school's traffic away …
Thursday, August 23, 2012
School officials ask parents to drive up to the school or drop students off near Colony Pool.
Ralph Pesapane, the principal at Southern Boulevard School, knows there will be one major adjustment that will be difficult for students and parents to get used to this year. "The gazebo is closed to us," he said. "We can't use it anymore." PSE&G owns the property along Southern Boulevard and recently revoked a licensing agreement which permitted the Chatham Township gazebo as a structure on the lot. This also means motorists can no longer use the parking lot or the park. The dirt driveway and parking lot adjacent to the gazebo has traditionally been used as an alternative drop-off and pick-up location for people who wish to avoid the front of the school. "This is big for us," Pesapane said. "They are not allowed to go there and pick up …
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Traffic, pedestrian safety and Safe Routes to School remain on the agenda for Monday's Chatham Borough Council meeting.
Further discussion of the possible sale of vacant lots within Chatham Borough has been postponed to the Sept. 10 Chatham Borough Council meeting. Borough Engineer Vincent J. DeNave said of the lots, "More work was required to determine if they could be auctioned as building lots or just auctioned as non-buildable lots to adjoining owners." DeNave said residents near the vacant lots proposed for sale have contacted him with comments and concerns. By postponing the discussion, he hopes to have a more detailed proposal based on a "[finalized] wetland review and public feedback." Neighbors said their concerns include whether the lots are or should be buildable, due to lot size, wetland status, the impact on traffic and on quality of life if …
Friday, July 27, 2012
As pedestrian safety becomes an increasingly important issue in town, one mother brings her concerns to the Board of Education.
As Chatham Borough, Chatham Township and the School District of the Chathams turn their attention to pedestrian and traffic safety, one township mother faces an issue shared by many. Peter Daquila, the business administrator for the school district, said he received a letter, addressed to the school board, from a parent who lives on Avon Court with a child who will attend Chatham High School in the fall. According to Daquila, the woman wrote in her letter that her son has to walk along River Road to Southern Boulevard to reach Chatham High School each day. The route is known locally as "Snake Hill" because of the sharp turns and steep incline. It has no sidewalks. The district provides free buses for high school students who live more than…
Monday, April 23, 2012
Chatham students
Samantha Robins, 7, and Carly McDermott, 6, were among the numerous students who walked to school Monday for the start of the Chathams' Walk and Bike to School Week. One parent at Milton Avenue School dressed up as a Chatham Cougar, the town mascot, and donned a sign encouraging students to walk to school. The parent, who declined to be named, and participating students were greeted Monday by the borough's Traffic Safety Officer Robert Sweetin. When Toby Kennedy dropped off Sara and Nathan Iuzzolino, who said they lived too far to walk, Sweetin told them how he grew up on the same street they lived on and walked to Milton Avenue every day as a child. "We'll walk tomorrow," Sarah said. Sweetin will visit all borough schools throughout the …
40.747046
-74.380051
Milton Avenue Elementary School
16 Milton Ave, Chatham, NJ
/articles/add-your-photos-to-walk-bike-to-school-week-gallery
26610
/locations/6856920
Thursday, August 18, 2011
A month after surveys went out, council member says about half have responded.
Council Member James Collander urged Kings Road residents to send their responses to a survey from the Traffic Safety Committee on traffic practices along the road. At a Traffic Safety Committee meeting in early July, the committee decided to deliver surveys to residents of Kings Road asking their opinions on how the road should be handled. Collander said Borough Engineer Vincent DeNave hand-delivered about 40 surveys asking residents about safety and speed control devices, "so we can try to get a consensus from the residents." As of Thursday morning, Collander said about 65 percent, or approximately 26 residents, have sent responses. When the Chatham Borough Council met on Aug. 8, only eight residents had responded. "We're going to go and…
40.73823
-74.38435
Chatham Borough Police Department
54 Fairmount Ave, Chatham, NJ
/articles/kings-road-residents-sluggish-on-survey-video
130679
/locations/5130834
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
After Boonton decided to put any nonconfidential records online, Borough Council may follow suit.
Any records that are not confidential may soon appear on the borough's new website, according to a discussion among Borough Council members Monday at their regular meeting. Council President James Lonergan brought forth the so-called Open Publc Records Act (OPRA) Resolution for discussion during the council meeting. The resolution, if one is drafted and brought before the council, would state the council's intention to make any nonconfidential public records accessable via the Internet, thus saving residents the expense of paying for hard copies and cutting down on paper used. Such a move by the council, Lonergan said, would be in the spirit of "the original intent of OPRA." Placing these records online would enhance transparency and …
40.738487
-74.384788
Chatham Borough Municipal Building
54 Fairmount Ave, Chatham, NJ
/articles/council-discusses-putting-records-online
26715
/locations/4278938
justanobservation
9:02 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Yep. I see those chat-in-the-middle-of-the-street moms too, expecting everyone else to inch around them as they discuss god knows what. Oblivious or narcissistic, I can't tell. And god forbid you tap the horn on them... you'd think someone just spray-painted their Escalade. Again, can't tell whether it's being stupid or self-absorbed. Probably equal parts of both. more ›