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Oaklanders Create New Weekly Cable Program to Teach Skills, Share Expertise and Offer Some Respite During Lockdown
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By Elizabeth Llorente
They say necessity is the mother of invention.
The pandemic has shown that to be true, as the unprecedented lockdown and lack of physical connections has given way to a slew of new ways to engage and be “virtually present” in the outside world.
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One of the factors fueling innovative ways of communicating and engaging has been a need for a respite from the constant barrage of devastating news and concerns about this unpredictable virus and our uncertain times.
Families and friends have participated in “get-togethers” via Zoom or Facetime. Musicians have entertained via Instagram videos and YouTube. There are countless ways to exercise following instructors who teach everything from yoga to cardio to weight training. Artists, such as Drew Barrymore and Kaley Cuoco have taken to inviting us into their home via Instagram and chatting about anything, like an old friend schmoozing over a cup of coffee.
And in Oakland, the idea cropped up to develop a weekly variety program – aired on our cable channel, and also available on YouTube--where our very own neighbors share ideas about organizing closets, gardening, sewing masks, making improvements on your home that usually pay handsomely if you decide to sell, and cooking demonstrations that will leave your mouth watering.
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Borough of Oakland Awarded $20,000 Sustainability Grant for New Oakland Community Garden
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Oakland, NJ
– The Borough of Oakland was awarded a $20,000 Sustainable Jersey grant funded by the PSEG Foundation. Five $20,000 grants, six $10,000 grants and twenty $2,000 grants were distributed to municipalities in fourteen New Jersey counties.
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The grant awards will fund a range of projects including green infrastructure, food waste composting education, single-use plastic reduction campaigns, community gardens, a farmers market, environmental resource inventories, a diversity discussion series, green team capacity building and more.
This $20,000 Sustainable Jersey Grant will go towards building Oakland’s first Community Garden. The garden will be located behind the Oakland Municipal Building. The Community Garden will have ADA accessible table top beds in addition to offering beds of various heights and sizes for accessibility for all ages and physical needs. Other elements of the garden include salad beds, composters, picnic tables, and trex benches obtained through the plastic film recycling program. The Oakland Community Garden will provide a destination for a variety of local classes on topics including composting, seed saving, and growing tips. Announcements will be forthcoming on plot registrations for the garden.
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We have all been impacted by the pandemic. We want to know how this is affecting our children.
A collaboration was formed between the Oakland Public Library and the Oakland-Franklin Lakes Rotary Club to commemorate this period of time in history through the eyes of our children. We are reaching out to our students to create a drawing, poem and/or essay reflecting their experiences during this pandemic.
A "time-capsule" scrapbook will be put together and housed in our library. You can send your child's submission to
oflrotary@gmail.com
or mail or deliver to me at 195 Ramapo Valley Road.
Stay safe.
Mayor Linda H. Schwager
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Your Monthly Garbage & Recycling Cheat Sheet
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Yard Waste:
This service begins Monday, April 6, 2020 or Tuesday, April 7, 2020 and ends Monday, December 7, 2020 or Tuesday, December 8, 2020. There is no yard waste collection during the winter months. Yard waste is never permitted in the household garbage collection. Do not put any yard waste in plastic bags. Should your yard waste not be collected, it is most likely due to COVID-19 staffing issues with the hauler, and we advise that you please leave out the yard waste on the curb and the hauler will return during the week to collect. Check the Borough Website for updates.
If your yard waste was not collected, please leave out at the curb and the hauler will be back during the week.
Electronics:
June 3 & 17
Paper:
June 3 & 17
Commingled:
June 10 & 24
Household Appliances/Metal:
Tentative Start Up Date of June 11th
Trash:
Mon & Thurs garbage collection on the South side of town. Tues & Fri garbage collection on the North side of town.
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Recycling Information
Garbage and Recycling barrels must be placed at the curb prior to 5:00am on the day of your scheduled collection. Please note that it is unlawful to place garbage, recyclables, or yard waste at curbside earlier than 4:00pm prior to the day of collection. All empty barrels need to be removed from the curb before 9:00pm on collection day. Please retrieve your empty cans from curbside as soon as possible.
Oakland residents have year round garbage collection twice per week based on your side of town. In the case of a holiday, pickup is skipped until the next regularly scheduled garbage collection day. Monday and Thursday garbage collection on the South side (see Streets) Tuesday and Friday garbage collection on the North side
Both sides of town have a Recyclables collection every Wednesday. Paper/ Cardboard or Commingled (bottles, cans, containers) are collected on alternate weeks. Please check the enclosed dates for which material goes out on a particular day. Residents must properly separate recyclables into two separate containers for collection or they cannot be picked up and will be left at the curb.
Food and drink cartons can be recycled with commingled. Our hauler accepts clean food and beverage cartons. For best recycling results, do not flatten the cartons.
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First Responders Flash
Briefing
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Message from the Oakland Police Department:
We, the Oakland Police Department, understand there may be a lot of anxiety these days due to the COVID-19 situation. The pandemic has added to everyone’s level of stress and uncertainty. Please know that the Oakland Police Department has adjusted our operations to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. Officers are continuing to respond to all calls for service; however, they may be doing it a bit differently.
·
Officers will be handling certain report requests and other matters via telephone; therefore, anyone who needs to file a report or has a pending issue that needs to be addressed, can call the department and the communication will be completed by phone.
- The Oakland PD lobby is open for all emergencies; however, for non-emergencies, please call or use the intercom system outside of the front door.
- Our community outreach programs have been suspended until further notice.
- Officers are still responding to residences but may keep their distance from you and ask you to speak with them outside.
Have the confidence in us to know that we will always be here in your time of need.
We urge you to continue social distancing practices and stay home. If you have to leave your home for essentials, please refer to the NJ Governor’s Executive Order for restrictions:
Oakland residents have been great since this pandemic began by enduring this unprecedented time with great fortitude, resilience & compassion. Let’s continue to work together and help each other (while still maintaining social distancing) to get through this difficult situation. If anyone needs anything, give us a call.
Emergencies- 9-1-1
Non-emergencies- (201) 337-6171
Chief Keith Sanzari
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Project Medicine Drop is still active at this time.
Project Medicine Drop is an initiative involving the installation of "prescription drug drop boxes" at participating New Jersey police departments.
The Oakland Police Department keeps the locked metal box inside our lobby with the “Project Medicine Drop” logo clearly visible and recognizable.
Project Medicine Drop allows the public to dispose of unused and expired prescription medications safely, securely, and anonymously. The opportunity is available seven days a week, 365 days a year.
If you are disposing of medication we ask that you follow this procedure:
- We do not accept loose medication and request it be placed in a Ziploc bag.
- Deposit the sealed Ziploc bag into our drop box
We CANNOT and DO NOT accept:
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Oakland Fire Department
Become a Member!
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The Oakland Fire Department is always looking for additional volunteer firefighters to protect the lives and property of our neighbors in Oakland. Our department has been serving the residents of Oakland for over 100 years (1909). The Oakland Fire Department is all volunteer. We operate from two firehouses, Company 1 at the Yawpo Ave firehouse and Company.
To become a member of the Oakland Fire Department you must be at least 16 years old, be a US Citizen, be in good physical condition, be a legal resident of Oakland for a minimum of six months and have not been convicted of a felony. Once accepted, you will need to complete an 18 week Basic Firefighters course, Firefighter I, at the Bergen County Fire Academy in Mahwah.
For more information and a membership application, come to the Yawpo Ave firehouse any Monday night at 7:00 PM and ask to speak to one of the our Chiefs.
at the Hiawatha Blvd firehouse.
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Message from Oakland First Aid Squad
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The Oakland First Aid Squad does not perform flu or COVID-19 testing.
Being brought to the hospital via ambulance does not guarantee that you will arrive at the hospital quicker, and it does not guarantee that you will be seen
more quickly at the Hospital. Treatment order is determined by need; the most critically ill will receive care first.
If you have fever, cough, chills, mildness shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, sore throat, fatigue, runny nose, or around someone exhibiting these symptoms, contact your doctor for medical advice. If your doctor recommends that you be evaluated in the hospital, first attempt to have a family member drive you. Care for these complaints cannot be provided by EMS.
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ONLY call 9-1-1 for life threatening emergencies. Examples include chest pain, allergic reactions, suspected stroke, significant difficulty breathing, unconsciousness, seizures, serious burns, uncontrollable bleeding, serious accidents, and overdose/poisonings.
If you call 9-1-1, you will be asked screening questions. Please answer ALL screening questions truthfully. This will ensure EMS take necessary precautions.
Introduction of EMS crews and members of the Police Department into your home will inherently disrupt your effort to self-quarantine/self-isolate/socially distance yourself. Please take this risk seriously.
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Message from the Oakland Public Library:
As the Oakland Public Library remains closed during this difficult time, we would just like to remind all of our residents that your digital library is open 24/7. Library card holders can access and download e-books, digital audiobooks, TV shows, movies, graphic novels, and more all from wherever they have an internet connection through Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy & RB Digital. In addition, anyone looking to learn new skills or brush up on anything can log into LyndaPro for free and get professional instruction. We can't wait to reopen, and as soon as we know when we'll be letting all of our patrons know. Don't have a library card but would like to borrow econtent? Not a problem. Email
havel@oakland.bccls.org
and we will get you a card.
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Lynda
is a leading online learning platform that helps anyone learn business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. Oakland Public Library cardholders
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now have access to the lynda.com video library of engaging, top-quality courses taught by recognized industry experts. With tutorials in five languages, lynda.com is a global platform for success.
Sign in with
your
OAKLAND library card and 4-digit pin at:
https://www.lynda.com/portal/sip?org=oakland.bccls.org
The link is also available on the Library's
website.
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Assistance for Seniors:
The Senior Assistance Food Shopping Programming is still available to seniors and members of the community with special needs. Please reach out to the Senior Center for more information at (201) 405-7731 or
seniors@oakland-nj.org
.
We are continuing assorted fitness classes via Zoom that are open to the entire Oakland community. Join us for a fun and energetic time! More information and scheduled classes can be found on the Borough’s Facebook page along with how to register. Contact the senior center for any questions.
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The Borough of Oakland has set-up a registration portal for upcoming Fitness/Wellness Classes via video conferencing. To register for future classes,
click here.
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The Borough of Oakland is hosting a Cardio and Toning Class every Tuesday in June on ZOOM. The Class runs from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Meeting ID's and Passwords will be emailed upon registration.
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The Borough of Oakland is hosting ZUMBA Classes every Thursday in June from 10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Meeting ID's and Passwords will be emailed upon registration.
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The Recreation Commission hopes everyone has been safe and well. While this has been a very difficult time for everyone, we have all prayed for those that have suffered great tragedy over the past couple of months.
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Photo credit: Daniel J Lenc, DJL Images.
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Recreation is a diversion and outlet that is here to distract us while offering exercise, camaraderie and competition for our youth and as well as Oakland's adults. We will remain here and be even stronger to support the community through the tough times as well as good times.
It was announced on Friday May 29th that the Governor has lifted some restrictions pertaining to recreation activities. The Recreation Commission is working tirelessly to restart our programs including the summer camp. At this time we cannot promise that every program will be returning this summer, but we are trying to create activities that will keep our recreation program one of the top community based organizations in the state. Look for announcements in the upcoming days. There is also a special public Recreation Commission meeting scheduled for June 8th at 8:00pm which will be available via zoom. Stay well.
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Communications Commission
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This Week in Oakland Episode 6 is now available on Oakland TV Channel 77 and FiOS 45. The Episode is also posted to the
Borough’s YouTube Page.
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The Oakland Communications Commission and Oakland TV Committee have been putting their extra time to good use and are excited to continue to air This Week in Oakland – a helpful, informative, and interesting program made in Oakland, by and for Oaklanders. Segments over the next few episodes will span from art, to cooking, to nature, to pet care, and many other things in between!
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Communications Commission
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Graduation 2020 will be the most unique graduation in decades. The Communications Commission and the volunteers behind the new weekly series, This Week in Oakland, want to make it a special one for our Oakland graduating 5th graders, 8th graders, 12th graders, and college students.
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Parents are encouraged to email a photo of each of your graduates (in graduation or professional attire), their name (as it will appear on diploma), the grade they are graduating from, and the school which they are graduating from to
occ@oakland-nj.org
by June 20th. This slideshow will be included in an upcoming episode of This Week in Oakland airing in late June on Oakland TV and it will also be posted on the Borough’s YouTube channel.
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Communications Commission
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The Oakland Communications Commission has a vacancy position as a Commissioner available. To those interested and to learn more about the position, please email occ@oakland-nj.org. Opportunities include TV Production, Bulletin Board, and Borough Newsletter.
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Sustainable Oakland Green Team
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Backyard Composter Bins are available for purchase at the Oakland Department of Public Works, 63 Oak Street, Oakland, NJ 07436 during normal business hours Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The composter is available at a discounted price to Oakland Residents at $60.00.
Questions, email recycle@oakland-nj.or (201) 337-8104.
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Sustainable Oakland Green Team
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The Sustainable Oakland Green Team Crayon and Marker Program is currently suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis. Notification will be made once the program is active again.
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Sustainable Oakland Green Team
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The Oakland Sustainable Jersey Green Team is always seeking new volunteers. To those that may be interested, or would like to learn more, please email "greenteam@oakland-nj.org" for more information.
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Sustainable Oakland Green Team
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The Sustainable Oakland Green Team would like to remind residents to please not idle their car! It saves gas, it saves the planet, and it makes us healthier.
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Sustainable Oakland Green Team
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The Oakland Environmental Commission presents "Battery Recycling" at the Borough Hall, 1 Municipal Plaza, Oakland, NJ 07436.
Place in Plastic Box:
- Single Use Batteries
- AA, AAA, C, D, Watch, and Hearing Aid Batteries.
Place in Cardboard Box:
- Rechargeable Batteries
- AA, AAA, C, D, 9 Volt, Tool Batteries, Cell Phones.
Collection is for Oakland NJ Residents ONLY. No commercial businesses.
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The Oakland Communications Commission and Oakland TV Committee have been putting their extra time to good use and are excited to continue to air This Week in Oakland – a helpful, informative, and interesting program made in Oakland, by and for Oaklanders. Segments over the next few episodes will span from art, to cooking, to nature, to pet care, and many other things in between!
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The Borough of Oakland is hosting a Team Up to Clean Up on June 13 and 14. Join with your family to clean up your favorite spot in Oakland. To register,
click here.
Grab a bag and head to your favorite park, neighborhood, or route to school.
Send photo’s to
assistadmin@oakland-nj.org
for inclusion in the Borough Newsletter and Borough Social Media. Please dispose of litter in your garbage pail on your regular trash pickup day and place clean recyclables in your recycling on your regularly scheduled recycling collection. Please be safe!
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Wear gloves and masks if near other people and maintain proper social distancing. Main roads with no sidewalk should be avoided until proper traffic control measures can be secured.
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Mayor's Wellness Campaign
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Walking meditation is a way to practice moving without a goal or intention. Mindful walking simply means walking while being aware of each step and of our breath. Mindful walking can release our sorrows and our worries and help bring peace into our body and mind.
Click here
for a 10 minute solo meditation walk you can do inside your home. There are many audio and videos online.
Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think. Namaste!
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2020 Census Facts & Information
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The
2020 Census
is a snapshot of our nation. Responses show where communities need new schools, clinics, roads and more services for families, older adults and children. Help build a stronger community for the next 10 years and
#FillitOut
at
http://2020CENSUS.GOV
.
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Follow the Borough of Oakland on Twitter and Facebook!
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Are you interested in submitting content to the newsletter?
Want to join the Newsletter Committee?
Learn more about the Oakland Communications Commission? Provide feedback?
Click below and learn more about what we do and how you can be involved.
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Mayor Linda H. Schwager
Council Members
Lew Levy - Council President
John Biale, Robert Knapp, Pat Pignatelli, Russell Talamini, Grant Van Eck
Chairman Ryan Schwertfeger
Vice Chairwoman Elizabeth Llorente
Jim Barry, Alex McVeigh, Andrea Levy
Junior Member: Benjamin Good
Patricia Carrera (Alt.), Salma Shamy (Alt. 2)
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(c) 2020 Oakland Communications Commission
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Borough of Oakland, New Jersey
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