Spring Newsletter 2016
The Pequannock Township Public Library Presents:
 
"Bag It The Movie: Is Your Life Too Plastic"
Friday, April 22 nd , 12:30 PM
 
Please call (973) 835-7460 to reserve a sea t
 
 
The Library, along with The Suburban Woman's Club and The Pequannock Township Environmental Commission are celebrating Earth Day with this free event featuring a lunch time viewing and discussion of the movie.
Please join us and bring your lunch in a reusable container. Light refreshments are provided .


Pequannock Township Public Library
477 Newark Pompton Turnpike
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
(973) 835-7460

 
 
Pequannock Township Fair Housing
  
If you or someone you know is interested in affordable housing, please contact Fair Housing at 973-835-5700, ext. 198 or email gdegraw@peqtwp.org to have an Interested Persons Questionnaire form e-mailed to you. Although Fair Housing cannot give you a specific time as to how long the wait will be, if a unit does become available, Fair Housing will supply the names and phone numbers of those persons interested in purchasing a unit at The Glens to the unit owner selling their unit. Affordable housing units are one, two and three bedrooms, low or moderate income. A 5% down payment is required for purchase.
  
When completing the Interested Persons Questionnaire, please provide the documentation requested so that your form is not returned to you, which is three years of W-2 forms (2013, 2014 and 2015). If you are collecting Social Security or disability, please provide the documentation requested so that your household may be placed in the correct income category and the correct number of bedrooms your household needs.   By submitting this form and the documentation, it does not mean or guarantee that you are approved to purchase a unit under the program. The form is for your name to appear on the waiting list to purchase a unit.
  
If you have not purchased a unit and still remain on our list after one year, you will be contacted to ask whether you would like to continue being on the list. If you are, simply fill out the form mailed to you and put in the mail with the required documentation. If you no longer wish to be on the unit, your name will be removed after 30 days from the date of the letter mailed to you.

Pequannock Township Police Department

Safe Exchange Zone at the Pequannock Police Department
  
The Peq uannock Police department is joining other local police departments in providing a "safe exchange zone," for people making Craigslist and other social media transactions with unknown individuals. The police department has posted new signs near the side entrance to the police department and in the dispatch lobby identifying the areas for the safe exchange. The entrance area is under video surveillance and the lobby area is in direct view of the dispatcher. If residents are making an exchange and feel uneasy about the transaction, they can notify the police department prior to the transition. Residents should always have as much information about the other person involved in the transaction as possible prior to the transaction whether they use the safe exchange zone or not. We also encourage residents to contact the police department prior to making any exchanges if they feel a scam may be taking place. Remember if the deal appears to be too good to be true than it probably is.
 
 
AAA Bike Safety Course
 
May is National Bike Month and to celebrate the Pequannock Police Department, Parks & Recreation and AAA New Jersey Automobile Club will hosting a fun Bike Rodeo event on Saturday, June 4 from 10a.m. to 12p.m. in the P.V. Park parking lot. The goal of the event is to educate young cyclists about bike safety and promote safe riding techniques in an effort to prevent injury. Pre-registration will be available through the Parks and Rec. Department and same day registration will be available on the day of the event.
  
All registered participants must wear a bicycle helmet and proper padding (elbow/knee) to participate.
 
DON'T FORGET YOUR BIKE!



Flood Insurance and You
Pequannock just qualified for additional flood insurance discounts! As of October 1, flood insurance rates for Pequannock residents will be discounted 25%. The new rate discount is based on increasing our Community Rating System (CRS) ranking from a 7 to a 5 (yes, lower is better).
This is how we did it. In exchange for a community's proactive efforts to reduce flood risk, residents receive reduced flood insurance premiums. These reduced premiums reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from community efforts toward achieving the three CRS goals:
  1. Reduce flood damage to insurable property
  2. Strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the NFIP
  3. Encourage a comprehensive approach to floodplain management
Further information can be found on the Township's Flood Information web site. The fourth release of the preliminary floodplain and floodway maps dated February 26, 2016 can be found there. Keep in mind these maps are preliminary. Pequannock is aggressively working to get the maps modified to better reflect the actual location of the 100 year floodway. Also included are maps depicting ditches and streams maintained to promote free flow of stormwater, location of benchmarks necessary to determine anticipated flood depths, and maps of all flood prone areas.
There has never been a better time to consider adding flood insurance, whether you are mandated to carry insurance or not. If you live near a flood prone area, you are at risk. Floods can occur anywhere, you should strongly consider purchasing a separate National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood policy. Contact your local insurance agent for further information.

Trees a Plenty
On Saturday May 7th the Township is distributing free bare root tree seedlings to any interested resident. A table will be set up in the Town Hall parking area from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM, or until all seedlings are dispersed. No ID is required, simply stop by and pick up your choice of a large variety of seedlings.
The seedlings are provided by the New Jersey Tree Recovery Campaign, a partnership including the New Jersey State Forest Service and the non-profit Arbor Day Foundation. Pequannock will distribute 1,000 seedlings. Trees serve many important functions, including creating habitat for wildlife, stabilizing areas that are prone to erosion, conserving energy use, and beautifying our communities," said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin. "The State Forest Nursery in Jackson is providing seedlings from more than 38 different tree species for the campaign, including a wide range of trees native to New Jersey such as oaks, dogwoods and maples."
Last year Pequannock received 1,000 trees consisting of nine different species including Basswood, Flowering Dogwood, Kousa Dogwood, Douglas Fir, Hackberry, Sweet Gum, Black Gum, Chestnut Oak and Northern Black Oak.
The seedlings, which are about knee-high when distributed, should be planted promptly to ensure survival. We recommend planting them in pots for the first season or two and then transferring them to their final location. You can simply plant them in the ground, but starting them in pots protects them from deer and other hungry little critters. In choosing where to ultimately plant the seedlings, residents should consider the size of the tree when fully grown and be mindful of overhead utility lines and proximity to structures.
This is the third year the State is providing free saplings. The program was launched to help communities that lost trees during Sandy, which toppled and crippled countless trees with strong winds and record storm surges in October 2012. In addition to Pequannock, other Morris County communities include Chester Township, Denville, Harding, the Mendhams, Mountain lakes, Parsippany, Rockaway Township, Roxbury, and neighboring Hopatcong in Sussex County.
Are You Registered to Vote?
The New Jersey Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, June 7th. There are elections for candidates in the following offices:
President
Delegates to the National Convention
House of Representatives
Sheriff
Freeholder
Township Council
County Committee
 
In order to vote in the Primary, you must be registered!
If you are currently registered to vote as a Republican or Democratic, you are eligible to vote the Primary Election of the party of your affiliation. If you are unaffiliated (not registered with any party) you may vote in the Primary by declaring a party affiliation at the polling location.
If you are not yet registered you must be registered by May 17th. You may register to vote by mail or in person at the Morris County Clerk's Office or the Pequannock Township Clerk's Office. For your convenience, the Pequannock Township Clerk's Office will be open until 9:00 p.m. on May 17th.
Voter registration forms can be printed from this website:
Forms are also available in the County and Township Clerk's Offices.

Mayor David Kohle & Councilwoman Catherine Winterfield
Mayor's Annual Riverwalk Clean Up
 
April 9, 2016 was the Mayor's Annual Riverwalk Clean Up organized by Rudy Steinthal and his wife.  It turned out to be a very productive cleanup.  Mayor David Kohle and Councilwoman Winterfield were among the 80 volunteers who cleaned up many areas.  Boy Scout  Troop 144 lead by Tom Andrea along with leaders and parents cleaned up river Road and Harrison Road areas and filled up a 20 yard dumpster of debris.   Teenagers from the Boys and Girls Club volunteered and bagged all of the debris at Hidden Cover on Lincoln Park Road from the Knights of Columbus Hall to the Boulevard.  Councilwoman Winterfield along with the Wells family and the Skateboard Park Committee members cleaned up the Alexander turn-around and filled up many bags of garbage. Other volunteers were working diligently by and under the Jackson Avenue bridge and in the rear of Stop & Shop parking lot.  Joe Wells and Frank Sprzzirri used their trucks to pick up all the bagged garbage to be put in the dumpsters.  A special thank you to all of the local businesses who donated in support of our clean up.
 
 Thanks to Everyone who participated in this year's successful Clean Up!!

Township of Pequannock

973-835-5700

peqtwp.org