October Monthly Message From Mayor Stacey Ewald
On the consent agenda this evening, you’ll find a resolution to award contracts for Senior Center Lighting upgrades and for the Fiber Loop. The Board of the Senior Center has been planning for this and other upgrades for some time now. The Senior Center, Chatham Borough and Madison are also pitching in toward these improvements. Now that this final lighting contract has been awarded, we’re pleased we can be part of making this important community resource an even more welcoming and pleasant place for our senior citizens to gather.
The Fiber Loop has also been a long time in the works. This contract award will allow the Township to move forward on a fiber optic network project funded by almost $1m in federal grant money. As noted in the grant application, “The above ground fiber connection integrates public safety equipment in parks, streets and public spaces to technology in police headquarters for sharing with surrounding communities throughout Morris County and the State of New Jersey. The speed and capacity of the new network provides real-time public safety data from current situational awareness cameras, license plate readers and other sensors to aid in investigating, responding to and preventing crime in the region.” Thank you to Chief Miller and our Township Engineer for their efforts in moving this project forward.
I want to again thank Joe Basralian, Pat Wells and Martha Wells for their long time service to our community. Chatham Township is very fortunate to have so many committed community volunteers who work to build and better our community.
One upcoming volunteer initiative I want to make sure everyone is aware of is our Fall Festival this Saturday, 10/26, at Shunpike from 11 to 1PM. This will be the first event run by our new volunteer Events Committee. I thank the volunteers and our Administrator for their efforts and I’m looking forward to a wonderful afternoon of family fun including pumpkin painting, music, food trucks and more. I look forward to seeing everyone there.
Preceding that event, also at Shunpike, our Environmental Commission volunteers are coordinating a restoration project to restore the understory of Shunpike’s Oak Grove. They’re asking for volunteers from 8:30am to 10:30am on 10/26 to help with planting and with erecting a fence. Thank you to our Environmental Commission volunteers for their efforts and for securing the funding to restore the Oak Grove understory.
From our emergency squad and fire department to our library board, Joint Recreation & Open Space Committees, Historical Society, and so much more, we are fortunate to have so many residents committed to making Chatham Township a place we’re proud to call home. If you’re wondering how you can get involved, please email me at sewald@chathamtownship.org or glaconte@chathamtownship.org to learn about opportunities.
