June 23 Update from Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee:
Good evening fellow residents,
PLEASE be thoughtful of your neighbors and DO NOT SHOOT OFF FIREWORKS, especially late at night. The loud sound is not pleasing for babies, children, many adults, and dogs. It is quite disturbing and impacts everyone’s quality of life. Our town authorities are aware and are working to address this issue. Thank you to the many residents who have reached out. Your advocacy is appreciated.
Public Health Division Update
The Maplewood Public Health Division cumulative and new numbers for Saturday 6/13 through Tuesday 6/23 are as follows:
Total Cases: 313 (+10) Age range: 30 to 44.
Probable Cases: 9
Total Deaths: 26
Total recovered cases: 251 (+13)
Testing Continues!
Our weekday testing partnership with Salerno Medical Associates continues through next Thursday with the exception of Monday the 29th which has been designated for township employees.
Online registration is available at salernomedicalassociates.fullslate.com or print out and complete the three required forms and bring them along with your ID and health insurance card to expedite the sign in process.
Time: 8am to 3pm
Location: 129 Boyden Ave. – Maplewood Office of Emergency Management Building
When you arrive: Enter through the Maplewood Community Pool Parking Lot and park your vehicle. This is a walk through and they are conducting up to 125 tests each day.
All insurances are accepted (private, Medicare, Medicaid). You MUST bring an insurance card with you and a form of I.D. is required. If you do not have insurance, please bring your social security card to be tested and there will be no charge.
The testing process is a throat swab and blood sample for COVID-antibodies, provided by a professional licensed nurse.
Opening Up Our Community
We are slowly and thoughtfully coming back.
Outdoor dining is available, retail with reduced indoor capacity and on sidewalks/in public spaces are at your service, and personal care (hair, nail) facilities have opened.
When dining, please do your part and be mindful of the public safety measures implemented and that each restaurant has agreed to with the township. Bring your facial covering with you. WE are in this together.
The Division of Public Works located at 359 Boyden Avenue has re-opened to residents for outdoor services during weekdays only from 8:00am to 3:30pm. Several guidelines have been implemented to insure the safety of employees and residents.
All previous services – recycling, electronics drop-off, mulch & woodchips and clothing drop-off – have been reinstated and social distancing markings have been painted on the recycling deck to keep a social distance when disposing your recyclables. If you have any questions, please call Phone: (973) 762-1175.
Black Lives Matter! Catch Our Awareness to Action Forum
Here is the link to the Maplewood Township Committee’s From Awareness to Action Forum held on Friday June 19th (Juneteenth).
The forum dived into the topics of Law Enforcement Accountability, Mass Incarceration in America/Restorative Justice and what is like to be black in Maplewood. Looking to get involved as we move to action, please email mapsocommunityalliance@gmail.com
And while we are on the subject of action, a future form by our Community Board on Police will provide training on what steps you should take before calling 911. In 2018, in Maplewood over 300 calls were made to 911 which were not about police matters, many of them were calls about “suspicious” Black youth from our community. When someone makes this call, our department is required to respond which can result in an unnecessary confrontation as the Black youth does NOT understand what he has done and why they are being stopped or approached by the police. By not making the “suspicious” call, not only can we help save cost and time – more importantly our community can do its part to avoid the perpetuation of harmful negative stereotypes and racial profiling which only traumatize and humiliate our Black children even further.
Congrats CHS
Columbia High School Seniors graduate tomorrow. Please join their families, our fire and police departments in conjunction with CHS Midnight Madness Committee at 8:20pm (20:20) to make some noise (and again keep fireworks to a minimum or do not use them at all) for the class of 2020. Thank you for celebrating our students.
