The following update was sent by Maplewood Township at 6:18 p.m. on Friday, August 14, 2020:
Working to address our US Post Office Mail issue with U.S. Congressman Payne
I am concerned about the lack of delivery of our mail to numerous residents in our community, and I have had conversations with Congressman Payne’s Office regarding this issue very recently. The Congressman provided this response to our concerns.
“The delays in mail delivery that are occurring in Maplewood, other cities in our district, and across the country are unacceptable,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. “I have contacted local and national postal officials to see what can be done to improve service during this global pandemic. Also, I am working to get the Postal Service all the resources necessary to improve service and protect mail-in ballots during the 2020 election. We need to do something immediately because this is a national crisis that could affect our trust in the Post Office and our elections.”
THANK YOU DPW, Engineering, MPD and MFD for helping us weather the storm
Last week our township experienced significant issues due to tropical storm Isaias.
It impacted many in our community. We had over 90 incidents of trees, tree limbs, and/or power lines down or impacted by the storm. The restoration of power and the cleanup process has been extremely robust to say the least.
Please note that I plan to have a post-mortem conversation with PSE&G regarding the overall responsiveness to the storm. That said, I want to personally and publicly acknowledge the amazing work of the Department of Public Works, our town engineer, Police Department, and Fire Department for keeping us safe and the community operational under the circumstances. THANK YOU!!!
NJDOH COVID-19 Public Health Recommendations for K-12 Schools
NJDOH will implement a statewide approach for school reopening with a regional/local focus. The reopening of schools requires a broad community commitment to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. Such commitment involves social distancing, wearing face coverings, cleaning and disinfection, and meticulous hygiene practices such as frequent handwashing. Some amount of community mitigation will also be necessary until a vaccine or therapeutic drug becomes widely available.
Understanding that COVID-19 may impact certain areas of the state differently, NJDOH will be providing information on COVID-19 transmission at the regional level, characterizing risk as low (green), moderate (yellow), high (orange), and very high (red).
This information will be posted online every week on the NJDOH CDS COVID-19 website and sent out via New Jersey Local Information Network and Communications System (NJLINCS) to public health and healthcare partners.
To sign up to receive health alert messages, contact your local health department or request a new account at https://www.njlincs.net/default.aspx
The Maplewood Public Health Division
Our cumulative and new numbers for Monday 8/03 through Friday 8/14 are as follows:
Total Deaths: 27
Total Cases: 348 (+9 new cases – ages: 17-62)
Total recovered cases: 275 (+4)
NJ Statewide confirmed cases: 186,594
Essex County confirmed cases: 19,840 (Now 2 highest county in NJ)
NJ Statewide confirmed deaths: 14,054
Essex County confirmed deaths: 1,876 (Highest county in NJ)
State aggregate data resources:
https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml Click under “daily case summary updates.”
https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_dashboard.shtml Click the Demographics tab.
For COVID-19 questions, please call 2-1-1 or our Public Health Division at (973) 762-8120 or visit the Maplewood COVID-19 website: https://www.twp.maplewood.nj.us/covid19.
Testing
The Township of Maplewood continues to work diligently to provide testing opportunities for our residents; as a result, please be advised that, in collaboration with Essex County, we have secured another mobile testing site opportunity in Maplewood at the pool parking lot on August 27 between the hours of 4-6pm.
Please check out www.essexcovid.org in the coming week to register for a test.
Renters/Small Landlords:
Last week, the Governor’s Office announced the creation of the Small Landlord Emergency Grant Program to reimburse small property owners for COVID-19 related losses in rent revenue between April and July 2020. To receive funds, landlords must forgive back rent and late fees accumulated by tenants. Applications will open NEXT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19th at 9:00 AM and close on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26th at 1:00 PM. Additional information, including a sample application, is available here.
From Awareness to Action Continues:
The Township of Maplewood, The Maplewood Community Board on Police, The Maplewood Memorial Library, and ValleyArts Present What We Can Do
to Improve Police & Community Interactions with Black Youth, August 25 @ 7PM. Please register online @ https://tinyurl.com/whatwecandomplwd.
Community Coalition on Race Virtual Presentation: Talking to Children about Racism: Breaking the Cycle next Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time. Register in advance for this meeting at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwufumhrD8qHt2JvESBBRpK33DJ27N9fx0o
Park Improvement Projects
We have been awarded $150K in grants from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust which will be used to repair the Civic House Bridge in Memorial Park.
Each of the 22 municipalities in Essex County were eligible to receive a $150,000 grant to help fund a local parks improvement project.
Approved by voters in 1998, money from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund can be used to maintain recreation facilities, acquire open space, preserve historic sites or support projects that enhance water quality or flow. The Trust Fund receives its funding from a dedicated tax that is collected quarterly from property owners.
US CENSUS UPDATE
This week, statewide efforts by the Census Bureau to count every household accelerated with Census Takers taking it to the streets. If you have not completed your census, someone will be at your door! As always, go to 2020CENSUS.GOV to complete your Census.
Have a good weekend.
Mayor Frank
