Columns/Opinions

Dear Editor:

Since the charity’s inception, The Tribune has been tremendously loyal to Cycle for Survival. The paper’s advocacy for our cause has significantly contributed to our New Jersey success; large numbers of Livingston people have joined the battle, in good part due to your coverage. We thank you!

So much has changed due to COVID, and we are all distracted by the pandemic. But one thing did not change. People got cancer, and people died from cancer. Fact: more people in our country lost their lives to cancer than to the virus.

During two recent meetings – one with the Township Council, and the other a joint meeting of the Council and Board of Education – Natalia Sawka shared her family’s personal connection to the war in Ukraine, using it as a way to connect the greater Livingston community with the horrors that are currently ongoing half a world away.

Sawka and her family have done incredible things in the past month. They have helped their Ukrainian hometown of Chervonohrad by supplying funds to provide food for three daycare centers that are housing 150 people. Her family also opened their Ukrainian apartment to house nine people and is providing direct financial support to an additional 20 people. This grassroots effort has taken on the name “Friends of Chervonohrad.”

A few weeks ago in the Tribune, resident Bruce Freeman wrote about boosting handicap accessibility in town and how it could lead to increased business revenues. As we are sure that Freeman, who navigates with help from a motorized wheelchair, can attest to, there is always room for improvement in making our community more accessible and inclusive for all.

Yet, as Freeman also brought up to us, this town is, in many ways, a model of inclusivity. There are several reasons why Livingston is a desirable location for people and families to settle down and plant roots. Great schools, high test scores, and extracurricular activities set up students for success down the line. And in general, as Freeman put it, “we are fortunate to have the funds to buy the very best.”

At the latest Township Council meeting, members of the Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion (LCDI) asked for permission to celebrate Women Veterans Appreciation Day at Memorial Park on the Oval.

In the past, our community’s local veterans groups have specifically asked that the only events held at Memorial Park be ones honoring veterans who did not return home from war. Within the memorial area, displayed for all to see at the entrance to the Oval, are plaques paying respect to the Livingston residents who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Now that spring has finally sprung (or, as far as the weather is concerned, is in the gradual process of springing), it is time for many residents to address what has become a growing issue in town over the past few years – sidewalks.

Cracked, uneven, overgrown and otherwise damaged sidewalks are unsafe. Depending on the level of damage, individuals might be likely to trip and fall due to the unevenness of the surface. We at the Tribune can attest to this, with staff members having had their fair share of tumbles. In some parts of town, we even choose to walk and run in the street over what could be considered a “sidewalk” in name only, and is actually closer to a pile of rubble. Students walking to school on these same roads are forced to do the same, making this a dangerous and pressing situation for our youth.

We have highlighted Livingston High School’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in the Tribune for the past several weeks, so now that the show has been performed, it only makes sense to praise all involved for an outstanding accomplishment.

In its first indoor performance of a musical in three years, the cast and crew of last week’s show emerged from the pandemic with a thoughtful, polished presentation. A return after such a long time, just as spring begins, was another welcome sign for a community that is eagerly anticipating the arrival of many upcoming events.

Next month, the Livingston Trails and Greenways committee will host a Passaic River cleanup on Saturday, April 9. This cleanup, which the committee does at least once each year (another typically occurs in the fall), offers residents a fun opportunity to get to know a slice of Livingston of which many people are unaware. It is also a necessary task to keep the waters pristine for animals and humans alike.

The Passaic River is home to muskrats, deer, multiple species of birds, and fish. Humans also live in homes off the banks of the river and use it recreationally (and are responsible for the plastic bottles, wrappers, and other pollution of the water). As a result of this use, the river periodically needs a cleaning.

The committee has several canoes and kayaks available to use, and people are also welcome to bring their own.

Last weekend, we were thrilled to see the re-emergence of a live performance by the Children’s Theatre of Livingston (CTL). The group presented A Year with Frog and Toad Kids, a one-act musical about two friends, the cheerful Frog and grumpy Toad, through four seasons.

We were, as always, impressed with the amount and spirit of teamwork CTL achieved throughout the show, both on stage and behind it. Three Frogs and three Toads seamlessly shared roles and interacted. The ensembles gracefully covered but never overwhelmed the stage; each individual helped move the story forward. We were particularly charmed by the “Snail with the Mail.”

During the March 8 meeting of the Livingston Public Schools Board of Education, the budget for the 2022-23 academic year was presented and discussed. In all, it is expected to total more than $135.6 million, an estimated annual increase of $256 on the average home in Livingston.

Balancing a budget of this size is never easy, and that is especially so given the challenges presented over the last few years. But it is paramount that we continue to invest in our students. Doing so is not only crucial to ensure our children have the brightest possible future, but it is also an investment in our town. Countless parents have said that our outstanding education system is the driving force for their decision to move to or remain in Livingston. Continuing to fund the schools at a level that ensures the district remains a leader in the state is for the betterment of our entire community.

Also discussed during the March 8 meeting was the 2023-24 district calendar.

Starting in May, many single use bags and containers will be banned in New Jersey, after Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation to address plastic pollution in the state. One of the strongest bans in the nation, it prohibits the use of single use plastic and paper bags, as well as Styrofoam containers and cups. Additional items that are more specific and challenging for businesses to replace – like prepackaged food service products and trays for butchered meat – will be exempt for an additional two years, until they are also banned in May of 2024.

This issue appeared to be coming to the forefront right before the pandemic, in 2019 and early 2020, before it was understandably moved to the back burner. At that time, several Livingston Township Council meetings featured discussions with a plastics committee, which included residents and local business owners, about how to implement these changes in town.