Columns/Opinions

During last week’s conference meeting, the Township Council decided to make Haines the sole operating pool for 2023. Northland Pool will be closed this summer, and potentially longer, depending on what the Council chooses to do with it moving forward.

The issue with opening Northland in 2023 is that it would need $70,000 in electrical work to do so. This would take roughly 14 weeks to complete, and there is no guarantee that, at the end of it, the repairs would solve the issue. If it does solve the problem, it would still take an additional $50,000 or so of upkeep to get the pool to a point where it can open to the public. Since the work would involve requests for proposals and formal approvals, it would also take several Council meetings for such repairs to even begin. Even if the Council decided that Northland would open this year, it may not happen until deep into the summer.

A Day On

Many years ago, when the Board of Education first announced plans to close schools in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, one of our readers, Patricia Idrobo, came up with the idea of creating “A Day On, Not A Day Off.” She organized many community groups and mobilized a cadre of kids to go to the high school cafeteria to perform a variety of community services and it was a great success. The cafeteria was filled with tables at which people were working on behalf of others. It was a joy to see and helped to demonstrate to our children the lessons Dr. King taught. At the end of the program, there was also a brief educational component which helped to teach Dr. King’s ideals.

For the first time in three years, residents, elected officials, friends, and family members gathered in person for the reorganizational meeting of Livingston’s Township Council. We were heartened to see a standing room only crowd of hundreds fill the Senior/Community Center for the event, during which the township’s government and committees were established for the year.

It cannot be overstated how wonderful it is to see that so many residents have volunteered to help make this town exceptional. The dozens of committees included the Arts Council, the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, various parade and event planning groups, and so much more. It’s that willingness to contribute to this community that makes Livingston so special, and that was evident this past Monday.

Dear Editor: This is the week to look back and pick the best of 2022. So here is one of mine: The Livingston Police Department.

“Week after week throughout the year, we read in the Tribune about unlocked cars with key fobs left inside the cars that are stolen from the driveways of Livingston residents. This is often followed by the headline “Cars Recovered.” I think we should be proud of our police officers who do this endless and quite often unnecessary work.

The department has reached out via the Tribune to remind residents about the need to be vigilant about locking their cars, and hopefully in 2023 we might see a reduction in auto thefts if people took more responsibility for their very often expensive cars. Doreen Mollenhauer Oakwood Avenue

December 30, 1982: In front page news in the Tribune 40 years ago this week, John Grady of 22 West Drive was to be sworn in as Livingston’s mayor for 1983 at ceremonies to be held on New Year’s Day.

The first baby of 1983 born to Livingston parents was to be welcomed by the West Essex Tribune and its advertisers with an assortment of gifts in the newspaper’s traditional First Baby Contest.

The Township Council announced it would hold a public hearing to receive suggestions from the public on how to spend nearly $150,000 in federal revenue sharing money.

The Board of Education was to hold a special meeting to vote on a formal resolution to close Burnet Hill School and Harrison School at the end of the 1983-84 academic year. The proposal, which came after a three-year study on declining enrollment in the school system, was being vigorously opposed by residents of the Harrison School district.

The Tribune received two letters of applause this week, one lauding a Livingston Post Office mail carrier, and the other, deputy mayor Michael Vieira, who will serve as mayor in 2023.

Honest Mail Carrier

“Many people say that the true definition of integrity is ‘doing the right thing when no one is watching,’ ” wrote Juan Quintero of Hllside Avenue. “I wanted to share this story with the rest of the community. The U.S. Postal Service has – at times deservedly – received much criticism in the last few years, but this will not be one of those times.

“My elderly out-of-town mom mailed my wife a birthday card with a gift card inside. The envelope arrived soaking wet from a recent rainstorm and the gift card was missing from the envelope. I went to the Post Offi ce to report what I assumed at the time was a theft even though I had no expectations about recovering the card or the funds on it.

December 23, 1982: The Livingston Board of Education scheduled a special meeting to conduct a formal vote on whether to close both Burnet Hill and Harrison Schools at the end of the 1983-84 school year, the Tribune reported on its front page 40 years ago this week.

In keeping with a long-established tradition for its last issue before Christmas, the Tribune printed a story of “Christmas in Old Livingston” by Freeman Harrison.

The Township Council approved a liquor license transfer that in effect gave the green light to a major expansion of Sweet Maggie’s Pub in the Livingston Mall.

The Council also voted to reject bids received for emergency repairs to a sanitary sewer main.

The current campaign of the United Way of North Essex, which included Livingston in its service area, had reached 50 percent of its goal.

It was brought to our attention this week that a photo in the “40 Years

Ago” column of the October 20 edition of the Tribune was printed with a different caption for the same school. Below is the photo with the correct caption.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and as we continue through this holiday season, we wanted to reflect on some matters that are regularly brought up around this time.

It is well worth a reminder to drive safely this holiday season. As a deterrent to dissuade drunk driving, police departments statewide are expected to once again add extra enforcement on the road through New Year’s Day as part of the annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

This holiday season, make smart choices, and make sure those around you are doing the same. Sometimes we have to make others’ choices for them, which may cause some friction, but is well worth it in the end. In addition, respect the police officers who will be out in full force to ensure that our roadways remain as safe as possible, as we bustle from parties, to malls, to grocery stores, and everywhere in between.

As winter approaches next week and with the sun setting by 5 p.m. (Wednesday, December 21, will be the darkest day of the year), we must remember, as drivers and pedestrians, to be wary of others on the roadways. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly three years ago, many more people have taken to the streets to get some fresh air and exercise, and drivers must remember to be careful, particularly when it gets dark out. And walkers, runners, and bicyclists should not assume that motorists can see you; particularly when navigating around leaf piles into the center of streets, be sure to look out for vehicles, wear reflective clothing, and use flashlights.