Office of Emergency Management

Special Announcement, October 31, 2011

This is a special announcement from the Borough of Bernardsville Office of Emergency Management regarding public safety matters and public Halloween Trick or Treating activities within the Borough. A Local Disaster/Emergency Declaration remains in effect until midnight tonight throughout the Borough. A significant area of the Borough is still without electricity. Many roadways, sidewalks and public areas have conditions that may compromise safety for pedestrians and vehicle traffic.

All public Halloween trick-or-treating activities on public roads and sidewalks are prohibited on October 31, 2011.  Halloween trick-or-treating in the Borough of Bernardsville will take place on Friday, November 4, 2011. Thank you for your cooperation and continued patience during this local emergency.  More information regarding this emergency declaration is available at www.Bernardsvillepd.org.

• Hi All,
  Just wanted to let you know that the Council approved crossing guards at Anderson Hill/Olcott as well as in the center of town. The Guards were approved until the end of the year. They are forming a committee to put on the pressure and find a long term solution. These solutions may include, but are not limited to, additional crossing guards, sidewalks, a better busing process (possibly zone busing or lowering the cost) and a safe road survey that would give solutions to our safety issues.
  We need to continue to put pressure on the council and keep these issues at the forefront of the Boroughs agenda. Please don’t let it end here!!
  Maggie
• 

Local resident, Maggie Bowie, recently contacted me about the concerning news of a student who was hit by a car while walking to Bernards High School last week. This young man was hit at a crosswalk, while trying to cross Anderson Hill and Olcott Ave.  Link to story: http://bit.ly/sAUSFL

She is rallying other concerned members of the community to join her at Town Council meeting tonight, Monday October 24th at 7pm. They are hoping to raise their voices and encourage council members to put additional crossing guards in place for the safety of our children.

Everyone who is interested in sharing in this important cause is encouraged to attend tonight’s Town Council Meeting.

Below is the letter she recently sent to Pete Miller, School Superintendent.

Dear Mr. Miller,

As I drove my kids to school today I noticed something very telling….

I live on Bernards Ave. in Bernardsville. There are 7 streets that my children would need to cross to arrive at Bedwell including the extremely busy State rd 202.

On any other day there are NO crossing guards until you reach Seney Drive. Yet today, which was “Walk to School Day”, there were crossing guards place at each crossing road between the Library and the school,an additional 4 guards. Still NO guards on the other side of 202.

Clearly this addresses the fact that it is unsafe to walk to school any other day. Which makes me ask the question…. How is it that I am forced to pay $400 per child to ride the bus if there is NO safe route to walk from my home on Bernards Ave.

There are several families that are forced to change their work schedules and drive their kids to school for these reasons;

-The cost of busing is exorbitant and is not in their budget

-There is No safe route to walk to the school

You see the increased traffic in town, in the car rider line and at car rider pick up after school.

I would encourage you to walk from Bernards Ave, Dayton Cresent, Prospect, Ambar the list goes on, and tell me that you truly believe there is a safe route to the schools, Bedwell and BMS.

Concerned Parent, 

Maggie Bowie

I’m very excited to help promote the  ARTsee Open Studio Tour  this weekend!

On Sunday, October 2nd, twenty‐four of the area’s finest artists will participate in the first ARTsee Open Studio Tour.  The artists will open their private studios to the public, and the Farmstead Arts center will also host a number of artists in its gallery and studio spaces. The Tour is a perfect opportunity to visit the studios of painters, potters,jewelers, photographers, weavers and more. Be prepared for the unexpected, as artists’ studios are just as likely to be found in living spaces as they are above garages and in basements.

“In Bernardsville and Bernards Township, there are artists living and working all around us. As the presence of galleries expand in our towns, you no longer have to travel to New York to attend a gallery opening,” explains cofounder Caren Frost Olmsted. “You can walk a few blocks along Maple Avenue or drive through Bernardsville to see new artwork and mingle with artists and art enthusiasts. It is a vibrant time for the arts in our community.”

With studios located throughout picturesque Bernardsville and Bernards Township, this FREE, self‐paced tour is the perfect way for visitors to spend a leisurely autumn Sunday. No reservations required ‐ just come and enjoy. Rain or shine. Sunday, October 2nd, 10 am‐ 4pm.

To download the FREE map for the ARTsee Open Studio Tour and read more about its participating artists, visit www.ARTseeTour.com or call Caren Frost Olmsted at 908‐208‐7516.

The silliness I've been enjoying this summer!

While away in July, one of my neighbors sent a group email to warn everyone of a bear sighting close to us.  We have plenty of wildlife in the area but let’s just say–bears are a much bigger deal.  The fact is that bears are indigenous to our area and we need to be Bear Aware! This is posted on the  NJ Fish & Wildlife website:

Not long after reading the neighborhood warning, I received another email from someone (also very nearby!) who may have actually seen not one, not two, but THREE different bears in her yard.

Look closely...there's a bear in this backyard!

The story of the 3 little bears in her own words…

“A friend was visiting on Sat. to let our dogs out while we were away. She drove into our driveway and captured the photo of a bear who removed our trash from our very difficult to open trash pail.  She waited until she saw the bear exit through our back yard, then actually proceeded to let the dogs out!  (I probably would have backed out of the driveway!).  The next morning we scoured the yard looking for a broken fence or other damage.  It did not appear the bear climbed  the fence as there was no damage.  He did break our back yard bird feeder.

Then, when we thought we missed out on all the excitement, we were having dinner around 6PM on Monday and my husband shouted, “Bear!”.  My daughter had a friend over so she got to witness the bear, and participate in the excitement.   Our first move was to gather our puppy who was on a tether in our front yard.  As I was doing this, my husband was banging pots and pans in the back yard and shouting at the bear.  He ended up lumbering into the front yard, along the wooded edges, and exited out the end our driveway and headed up our hill.

Despite the racket we made – so as not to invite him back, last night, he returned at dinner time with our very same friend over for a visit!  She was thrilled.  This time, all the children acted as if it were a well rehearsed fire drill.  They gathered the dogs and put them into a bedroom for safety.  My son handed my husband the loud noise makers.  My husband shooed the bear away.  The bear was reticent to leave and had a docile manner.  He ended up climbing a tree, then leaping over our fence!

Yesterday, the bear was wearing a tan collar.  On Monday, my son and I thought the collar was bright, dark blue.  My daughter thought it was brown.  On Saturday, my friend said the bears ears were tagged and the collar was tan. (It’s hard to determine the details with all the excitement.)

I notified the local police, who are rather nonchalant about this, and the NJDEP.  The NJDEP advises families keep garbage pails in the garage and wash them with ammonia.
We love wildlife.  I also don’t want to open my door and surprise a bear and have him unhappy to see me or my family members.   Never a dull moment in Bernardsville!”  

The moral of this story is that it’s important to have a healthy respect for nature and safeguard your home & pets from the wildlife in Bernardsville.  

Last but not least, I’d like to leave you with this gorgeous image from the NJ Festival of Ballooning that was held July 29-31st.  Seeing a sky fill up with about 50 colorful hot air balloons  is quite a  beautiful sight and it’s yet another of the things I love about living here…

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Feta (From Tasty Kitchen, Pioneer Woman)

Above is a photo of the salad mixed and ready with Farfalle pasta, grape tomatoes, zucchini, green onions, kalamata olives, red bell pepper and an abundance of delicious Feta cheese. Simply cook the pasta and toss with olive oil, salt/pepper and mix with the previous ingredients mentioned. While this is not my recipe, I added in other items and made it my own–you can do the same!  For the full recipe, click below:

Pasta Salad from the Tasty Kitchen Website

This salad is ideal for summer entertaining, bringing over to a neighbor/friend, picnics, or as your  own family dinner.  Prepare early in the day, let the flavors marinate in your fridge, hit the pool & come home to a delicious and healthy meal that is already made!  For some extra pizazz, grill up chicken, pork or to go on top of it.

I own bunches of great cookbooks but I often find that by going online to the Tasty Kitchen website, I can easily find a new recipe in a matter of minutes. Inspiration is just a click away!

Tasty Kitchen Website

Enjoy!

Just look at all that fresh food!

The Griggstown Quail Farm & Market makes terrific pies, among other tasty items.

A fabulous selection of lush plants.

Someone is very excited about Pickelicious, which draws a pretty substantial fan base!

Large bouquets of fresh flowers are among my favorite items to pick up from the Farmer's Market

Get out there & enjoy these and all the other vendors at our Bernardsville Farmer’s Market.  Happy Summer!

In my neighborhood we began the tradition of coming together on the last day of school at the bus stop over 7 years ago.   In recent years, this has evolved into a block party for several adjoining streets that includes a list of over 50 families (and resident alumni.)   Whenever I mention our block party to friends in other neighborhoods, I’m often asked to share information about how it is organized.  This is a surprisingly EASY thing to do with the right combination of people willing to work together & participate.

1. Pick a mutually convenient date and location.  As I mentioned, ours is traditionally the last day of school because many of our families spend summers at the shore or out-of-town. Whatever you choose, I suggest that it be a date you stick with from year to year so neighbors can plan ahead.

2.  Identify 6-8 people to be responsible for primary jobs.  In our case, those jobs rotate and are #1. Preparing a flier to go in each mailbox, #2. Collecting money & tracking responses, #3. Creating & sending out food assignments, #4. Ordering a Keg , #5 Getting KFC fried chicken (always a hit), #6. Glow necklaces for night time, #7. Hiring a DJ for music & fun, and #8.Requesting traffic barriers and inviting the Fire Department to visit.

No party is complete without dancing "The Macarena"

3.  As you can see from the list above, the collection of money is a necessity to ensure a level of fun for all ages.  There are ways you could cut costs (music, beer, etc.) but this formula works well for us.  We collect $35 per family, $20 for couples and invite our senior neighbors to come for free.   By collecting the money in advance, we are able to make sure we cover our expenses and still provide a donation to the fire department that night.  The kids love seeing the fire truck & it really does make us feel like a community.

4. With the collection of information and money, we are able to effectively communicate with our neighbors about food assignments via email. Those who are attending (even the main organizers) are given a food assignment that is organized pot-luck style.  The standards are there: burgers, hotdogs, condiments, salad(s), fruit, juice boxes, soda, paper goods, chips, popsicles and desserts.  Naturally, this will vary in quantity based on the size of your neighborhood.  Just be sure to have coolers with ice, tables and grills at your set-up site.

5. Once everything is in place, you will see how wonderful it is to watch neighbors meet (sometimes for the first time!), share stories, enjoy food/drink, have a laugh and come together!  I should also add that it’s a great selling point for home buyers.  By creating this event, we create more familiarity that leads to friendships and a general awareness of those around us.

LeeGoldbergABC7 Lee Goldberg @BvilleShellie still will have scattered storms into the evening. Sorry. Jun 16, 5:12 PM via Twitter for Android

6. The weather? Oh, the weather!  I am avoiding this subject big time because our forecast tonight is pretty grim.  We have a rain date for tomorrow and it’s a tricky decision.  How do we decide to go forward with a rain date or  tough it out? No one really wants to make that call but, with group consensus, we’ll arrive at a decision by midday.  (Another perk to collecting emails in the responses.) I recommend having a rain date so that no one is stuck with unused food items.  The sooner, the better since salad and meat items cannot keep.

7.  Remember to clean as you go & ask neighbors to join in cleaning up any remaining items the next day.  No one wants to have their lawn littered afterwards!

8. Put teens in charge of organizing games for kids. Have fun!

There you have it.  My tips on planning a block party definitely leave room for you to make it your own. Get as creative as you like!

Some additional ideas for your block party can be found here:

http://www.party411.com/PlanYourParty/Theme/Summer/BlockParty.aspx

http://www.ehow.com/how_135596_throw-block-party.html