Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Department hopes to have pickup completed by Dec. 21.
The Chatham Borough Council agreed to a second limited leaf and brush collection by the Department of Public Works, which they hope will be completed by Dec. 21. Robert Venezia, the head of the DPW, told the council his employees had worked overtime and over weekends since Nov. 26 to complete the first round of leaf collection. In spite of this, residents already put leaves back on the curb in areas the DPW had already collected from. "We just did Watchung on Saturday, and more leaves are there already," Venezia said. Venezia estimates the DPW could complete the first round of leaf pick-up by Wednesday or Thursday, at which point he could either do a second round of pick-up or convert the trucks for snow instead. "We've had two snow storms…
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Chatham Borough considers second brush pick-up.
The Chatham Borough Council agreed to consider a second brush pick-up through borough streets, but only after leaf pick-up finished and if the Department of Public Works was not overwhelmed with snow removal. Chatham Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano said the DPW had already completed one round of brush pick-up after Tropical Storm Sandy hit the area. Now, he said, the DPW is focused on leaf pick-up. "We went through and picked up the brush," Falzarano said, "and we left notice that we'd been through and we wouldn't be back." After residents saw the notices, Falzarano said he received many phone calls and visits from borough residents, some quite "nasty," who said the residents were unaware of brush pick-up in their neighborhood. DPW …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Christie administration promises to rebuild
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The most severe and destructive storm to ever hit the Jersey Shore also left a record-high price tag: $29.4 billion in damages. Gov. Chris Christie's administration has completed a preliminary analysis that puts the price of Sandy's destruction at the costly figure. The estimate will be further refined in the days ahead, officials say. The preliminary number is based on empirical data, field observations and geographical mapping, and supported by "expert advice" from the administration's cabinet members and an outside consulting company, said Governor Christie. “In a short period of time, we put together a comprehensive and responsible estimate, which may increase in the weeks ahead, and I stand ready to work with our Congressional …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Chatham Day School head says mayor's daily emails helped her share accurate information with her staff.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Dear Editor, I am writing on behalf of the teachers, parents, and students of Chatham Day School to express our appreciation for the leadership of Chatham Township's Mayor, Nicole Hagner. Her grace under pressure and outstanding communication skills were readily apparent and very helpful during the aftermath of the storm disaster. As Head of Chatham Day School, where we serve students from over 36 surrounding towns, the continuous flow of information from Mayor Hagner enabled me to keep our community informed about the power restoration status of the school. Whether the news was good or bad, she was the source for the frequent updates that I was able to share with staff, friends and families. Although CDS was without power for two weeks, …
Funds will cover emergency operating expenses and overtime salaries.
The Chatham Borough Council voted on Monday to appropriate $140,000 to recovery efforts from Tropical Storm Sandy. A resolution, approved 5-0 by the council, allows the Chief Financial Officer to authorize a "special emergency note" for up to $140,000 to help pay for the storm. The emergency appropriation will be paid for in installments of $28,000 over the next five budget years. The money will pay for $70,000 in operating expenses and $35,000 each in police and DPW overtime salaries. Other Expenses The council also approved $10,100 to cover miscellaneous expenses. Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano said the money "could be for anything, including office supplies. "They're small numbers, so it's probably for little purchases," …
Monday, November 26, 2012
The council meets Monday evening at the borough municipal building.
The Chatham Borough Council will vote on a resolution transferring $10,100 to the 2012 Current Fund Budget to cover operating expenses and $140,000 to help pay for damage caused by Tropical Storm Sandy when they meet Monday. Emergency funds from Sandy include $35,000 in police overtime, $35,000 in DPW overtime and $70,000 in operating expenses as a result of the storm. Between August 2011 and November 2012, three major storms—Irene, the October 2011 snow storm and Sandy—hit the area, each causing more damage than the last. Sandy's impact was by far the worst. At the borough council meeting on Monday, Nov. 12, Administrator Robert Falzarano estimated the storm's total damage to the borough at $680,841. Costs to the borough from Sandy …
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Family and friends? A week of no school? Just having your power back? Let us know!
While sitting at my desk working Tuesday, something perfectly ordinary happened: My phone started buzzing. This is not unusual. I typically get at least 150 emails per day, up to a dozen phone calls and between 20 and 30 text messages, most from the Chatham organizations I follow on Twitter. These organizations include Chatham High School, Chatham Borough, the Chatham Township Police Department and the Library of the Chathams. It was a tweet from the library that made my phone buzz in this particular instance. I've included the text below, complete with hashtags: What this tweet fails to communicate is that the library was supposed to be closed on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Tropical Storm Sandy was predicted to move much slower than it did, and the…
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Students and staff members will have school on Feb. 18.
School will be open in the School District of the Chathams on Feb. 18, the school board voted Monday. The 6-2 vote to have school on Presidents Day came after a discussion of the school days missed after Tropical Storm Sandy hit the area. Schools were closed for a full week after the storm, using up the district's entire reserve of five snow days for the year. Milton Avenue School, Southern Boulevard School and Washington Avenue School remained closed an additional day. The school was able to schedule two make-up days on Nov. 8 and 9, but this leaves Lafayette Avenue School, Chatham High School and Chatham Middle School with only two snow days for the rest of the year and the K-3 schools with only one snow day. "The first question is, how …
One in five residents said they felt forced out of their homes by the storm.
Superstorm Sandy made an impact on approximately two-thirds of the state, according to results from a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Tuesday. An even higher percentage (94 percent) of the 1,228 polled New Jersey residents reported that they lost power at some point during or after the storm. About 65 percent of those polled said they remained without power for at least five days. "Two-thirds of New Jersey residents were affected when Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on the Garden State three weeks ago," a press release about the poll said. Approximately one in five residents said they were forced out of their homes by the storm, with about 6 percent of residents telling pollsters they were still not able to permanently return. "We already …
Monday, November 19, 2012
AAA New Jersey predicts about 1 million residents of the Garden State will travel 50 miles or more this holiday weekend.
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Monday, November 19, 2012
About one million New Jersey residents and 43.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving weekend, AAA New Jersey predicts. The impact of Hurricane Sandy is still uncertain, especially in the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions. Cathleen Lewis, the director of Public Affairs for AAA New Jersey, said, "While many residents [of New Jersey] may cancel travel plans, many others may change travel plans to accommodate or assist displaced friends and family." How will we get there? Sandy may influence how New Jerseyans will travel this holiday. As Lewis said, "Rental cars have become a coveted commodity by those who lost vehicles in the storm.” AAA recommends confirming any existing reservations for a rental car with the …
kjchat
1:21 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
you can cite "as per the town calendar" all you want, my leaves, as well as my entire block's, have been out since 10/30 and are yet to be picked up once.. not brush, leaves... more ›