News from the Township of Cranford for March 15, 2023

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TOWNSHIP OF CRANFORD

NEWS

MARCH 15, 2023

This newsletter is published twice a month by the Township of Cranford to provide residents with important information and updates.

CRANFORD TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE

Mayor Brian Andrews

[email protected]

Deputy Mayor Jason Gareis

Public Safety

[email protected]

Commissioner Kathleen Miller Prunty

Public Works/Engineering

[email protected]

Commissioner Gina Black

Public Affairs/Recreation & Parks

[email protected]

Commissioner Terrence Curran

Finance

[email protected]

INTERIM TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATOR

Chief Ryan Greco

[email protected]

Message from the Mayor

Cranford advanced two major projects since our last newsletter. On February 25, we formally opened the new Recreation Center at 375 Centennial Avenue. The incredible 19,000-square-foot multi-use facility will offer exercise, sport, and well-being options for residents of all ages. Thank you to Cranford VFW Post 335 for joining us to recognize the occasion. Thank you to the Cranford Soccer Club and Cranford Lacrosse Club for all their work getting the building ready to open. For more information on hours and rental, visit the Cranford Recreation and Parks website.

Second, on March 6, we launched a massive Rahway River maintenance effort with support from Union County. Over the month of March, the project will remove downed trees and other debris that have fallen in the river and create natural dams. These dams pose a significant danger to the Township especially during a flood event. This project has been a priority of the Stormwater Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Cranford Flood Committee which initially identified obstructed areas. With assistance from the Cranford Police Department, Office of Emergency Management, Engineering, and Department of Public Works, the river was surveyed and the Township was able to present Union County with a map of the areas of concern. We thank Union County for their quick response.

On March 7, 2023, Connolly & Hickey presented a North Avenue Gateway Vision Plan, which was prepared with the input of the Downtown Management Corporation. This vision plan is not a specific project proposal. Rather it presents the style, scale and type of project that the Township expects to see for the North Avenue Redevelopment Area. The Township expects to include the Vision Plan as part of a Request for Proposals that is anticipated to be approved for publication on March 21. It is anticipated that responses to the RFP will be received and reviewed by the Township this summer. Please provide feedback on the Vision Plan by emailing [email protected], which will remain open for feedback through the RFP decision process.

There has been a product recall issued for over 2 million Cosori air fryers due to fire hazards. So far there have been 205 reports of these air fryers catching fire, burning, melting, overheating and smoking. These include 10 reports of minor, superficial burn injuries and 23 reports of minor property damage. Consumers should immediately stop using these air fryers and contact Consori (888-216-5974) to receive a free replacement. Please go here to view the recall notice.

The Conservation Center is open Wednesdays 9:20am to 3:20pm, Saturdays 9:20am to 3:50pm. The Center will reopen on Sundays March 5^th at 920am.

2023/2024 Conservation Center Stickers are now for sale - click here for the Conservation Center permit application. Current stickers are good until April 5^th 2023.

Summer registration for the pool is now open! Go here for more information on how to register.

Do you have questions about the Cranford Pool? Please go here to review some Frequently Asked Questions.

The NJ Department of Community Affairs has launched the Homeowner Assistance and Recovery Program (HARP), which provides awards to homeowners impacted by Hurricane Ida for activities necessary to restore their storm-damaged homes, including rehabilitation, reconstruction, elevation, and/or other eligible mitigation activities such as structural and utility retrofits to make damaged homes more resistant to floods. Homeowners who owned and occupied the home as their primary residence at the time of Hurricane Ida may be eligible for this program. Only applicants with remaining repair or reconstruction, eligible elevation, or mitigation work may be eligible to receive assistance. Reimbursement of costs for work done prior to submitting an application is not allowed. The application period is open through May 1^st, 2023. Information is available at: https://www.state.nj.us/dca/ddrm/programs/ida/housing_HARP.shtml.

On behalf of the Cranford Township Equity and Inclusivity Initiative, we are excited to provide you with an update. As you know, the Equity and Inclusivity Initiative worked with all those who volunteered to help develop a Cranford Township Equity and Inclusivity Strategic Plan and then asked the community at-large for feedback. We received approximately 600 responses.

Here are the results of that feedback:

As indicated in the results, a majority of the community members who responded support the Cranford Township Equity and Inclusivity Strategic Plan.

We will be providing additional information about programming and how to get involved in the near future. In the meantime, if you are interested in helping support the implementation of the Cranford Township Equity and Inclusivity Strategic Plan, please fill out this form .

Cranford Township Committee, Cranford Board of Education, NAACP, the Cranford Clergy Council, and additional concerned citizens

The Union County Board of Elections is seeking bilingual poll workers for Primary Election Day on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 and General Election Day, Tuesday, November 7, 2023. In addition to receiving a stipend of $300.00 for the day, poll workers perform a valuable civic service by helping to ensure that every eligible voter can exercise their right to vote on Election Day.

“Bilingual poll workers are especially helpful in our diverse community, so we encourage everyone with a second language, specifically Spanish, to participate in this very important civic service,” said Board of Elections Administrator Nicole DiRado.

Any Union County resident who is 18 years or older, and registered to vote in Union County, can qualify to become a poll worker. No experience is needed. Before Election Day, each new poll worker must attend an in-person training course. Persons interested in becoming a poll worker are advised to apply now in order to reserve a spot.

For more information and to obtain an application form, visit the Poll Worker Resources page at the Board of Elections website, ucnj.org/pollworker. To request an application form by mail, call the Board of Elections at 908-527-4236 or email [email protected]. For all Union County Board of Elections information visit online at ucnj.org/ucboe.

This year the committee will be exploring the options for a major bathroom refurbishment or possibly a replacement. This is in the very early stages. Also, the committee will be looking to add more watercraft for the campers to enjoy, as well as adding a volleyball net and horseshoe pitching areas.

The committee will be traveling up to the Camp later this Spring to assess the condition and determine what work needs to be done for the work day we hold every Spring. They hope people will choose to take advantage of this unique resource that Cranford residents can enjoy.

The environmental commission has put together a home-eco guide that is hosted on mygreencranford.org here: http://www.mygreencranford.org/home-eco-guide.html. Residents are encouraged to check out the guide for environmentally friendly tips for the home and garden.

Mark Your Calendar for Annual River Clean Up Day on Saturday, April 22, 9 am to 1 pm. The Green & Clean Cranford Team is looking for volunteers! Sign up by emailing [email protected].

Have food scraps that make your trash smell? Wish you could compost your food scraps? Help is here! Cranford has a food waste composting program at the Cranford Conservation Center!

Just drop off your kitchen scraps in the bin next to the office/shed at the conservation center, labeled "food waste." The image below shows what's acceptable; collecting and dropping off scraps in plastic bags is ok too. You do NOT need a Conservation Center permit to drop food scraps. The waste will be processed to generate renewable energy for the Rahway Valley Sewer Authority water treatment plant. Thanks to this program, you can now divert your food waste from landfills!

Learn more here:

https://sustainability.wm.com/2018/waste/organics/core

https://greenbucketcompost.com/