NEWSLETTER
Mayor's Corner Update
Please see Mayor Devanney's March Update in TAPinto Berkeley Heights here.Mayor’s Corner is a new column written by Mayor Devanney as one of the avenues the administration uses to communicate directly with Township residents. She welcomes feedback and ideas for improving our town; please feel free to email her directly at adevanney@bhtwp.com
Message from the Township Administrator
Pothole you want to report? Downed trees in a street? Something else that needs the Township's attention? PLEASE report issues as you see them. Those submissions get funneled to the proper department head so they can attend to them. That is the sure way we will know of your issue and address it as efficiently and effectively as possible. Thank you!
New Website
On March 26, Berkeley Heights Township launched the new official Township website designed to improve the ability of residents to access information and services. Spearheaded by the volunteer Berkeley Heights Communications Committee working closely with Township employees, Phase One of the new website offers a modern, resident-focused design that is easily accessible via mobile. Residents will immediately benefit from a new search function that makes it easier to find information site-wide, including content contained in agendas and meeting minutes. Phase One also includes a new calendar that residents can set to show only the types of events they’re interested in and receive notifications for--everything from the Township’s Memorial Day parade and Recreation Department events to Town Council, Zoning Board, and Environmental Commission meetings.
ACH Payments
The Township is now offering our taxpayers the ability to pay their quarterly taxes through a pre-authorized electronic payment system. In the same way many residents may have utility payments, mortgage payments or credit-card payments automatically deducted from their accounts electronically, Berkeley Heights taxpayers soon can have withdrawals taken from their checking, savings, or money market accounts. The only requirement is for taxpayers to fill out the “Authorization Agreement for Pre-Authorized payments through the Automated Clearing House (ACH)” form. This form is available on our website or can be picked up at the Tax Collector’s Office, located at 29 Park Avenue, Berkeley Heights. Residents can learn more here.
Bulk Pick Up
The Township is going out to bid for a vendor to do bulk pickup this year. The bid opening will be on April 10th; the township will choose the lowest, responsible bidder. That vendor will be on the agenda for approval at the April 23 Council meeting. More info on dates and logistics will be advertised as soon we get them; pickup is tentatively scheduled for the latter part of May.
Recycling Task Force
Mayor Devanney announced the creation of a Recycling Taskforce, which will explore options to bring down costs of our increased recycling budget. With new restrictive regulation recycling changes, China is no longer accepting certain materials and wants others to be cleaner. The result is a 142.9 % increase in the Township’s recycling budget. The Task Force will generate a final report of recommendations and present it to the Mayor and TC at the first meeting of the TC in July 2019, to allow the Township ample time to bid/rebid the recycling contract in advance of the existing contract end date. The Recycling Task Force shall consist of 9 members which shall include the Mayor, Council President, 3 members of the Environmental Commission appointed by the Mayor; and 4 members of the public, who shall be residents of the Township appointed by the Mayor. Interested? Please contact Council President Alvaro Medeiros at amedeiros@bhtwp.com.
Relief for Drainage Woes in the Works!
Our township engineer and DPW director have been assessing some of the worst parts of town as it relates to drainage, visiting residents’ homes to get first-hand accounts of the flooding issues. The township will soon be launching a drainage study to determine the most effective course of action to address and remediate the antiquated infrastructure that is largely contributing to the frequent flooding in some areas. Working with our waste water treatment plant director, we will assess how quickly we can get started.
Municipal Complex
Please check here for regular monthly updates and photos.
Recycling Schedule
REMINDER: The Township is now divided into two sections for recycling pickup. Snyder Avenue/Horseshoe Road is the dividing line between the East and West sides of Berkeley Heights. Pickup will occur every other Wednesday for streets East of Snyder Ave (toward Summit) and every other Thursday for streets West of Snyder Avenue (toward Warren). Both sides of Snyder and Horseshoe will be picked up on Wednesdays.
Full 2019 schedule with East & West dates is online.
Specific questions can be sent directly to Giordano at (service@gogreengiordano.com or call 1-800-216-2250) for the most up-to-date information. Read a summary of Recycling "Do's and Don'ts".
March 2019 Recycling Dates:
- EAST: April 3, 17
- WEST: April 4, 18
Township Council Meeting Schedule
Township Council meetings take place at Town Hall (29 Park Avenue) at 7 pm.
Upcoming Township Council meetings:
Upcoming Planning Board meetings:
Boards/Committees/Commission Updates
Clean Up of Passaic River Park was a Huge Success
On St. Patrick's Day, residents turned out to "go green" by collecting litter along the Passaic River in Passaic River Park. Community members - young and old - came out to participate. The event, sponsored by the Berkeley Heights Innovation and Sustainability Alliance (Sustainable Berkeley Heights) was a huge success, with residents collecting 11 bags of trash, 9 bags of garbage, piles of construction materials, and a heap of other trash. For pictures and to read more about this clean up, please visit TapInto.
Everything and the Kitchen Sink found at Clean Up of Snyder Avenue and Snyder Avenue Park
On Sunday, March 24, residents gathered at Snyder Avenue Park and cleaned up the street area from the park to the Bank of America building, on both sides of the road. The children who participated found all sorts of interesting objects cast aside in the woods adjacent to the turf field. Adults who ventured to the Passaic River Tributary picked up bottles, papers, cigarette butts, and, yes, a kitchen sink that had been thrown into the waterway. In total, the group gathered 84.3 pounds of trash and 44.0 pounds of recyclables, for a whopping total of 138.3 pounds of litter collected.
Upcoming Community Events:
Don’t miss out on these upcoming community events such as:
- Clean Up on Watchung Way: Berkeley Heights Environmental Commission along with other committees are hosting a clean up event on Watchung Way on Sunday, April 7 from 2pm -4 pm.
- e-Waste and Styrofoam Recycling: On April 6th from 9am to 12pm, please bring your electronics, #6 Styrofoam and your driver’s license to the DPW garage, located on Berkeley Avenue, off of Park Avenue near the construction of the municipal complex, behind Town Hall.
- Art For The Park: Hosted by The Peppertown Park Committee, the fundraiser event with be held at Columbia Middle School on Saturday May 11th, 2019 from 12pm -5pm
- The 18th Annual Mother’s Day 5K: Hosted by the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, the 5K will be held on Sunday, May 12th from 8am-10:30am at Memorial Field in Berkeley Heights.