Columns/Opinions

The summer break from school enabled everyone to take a breath and prepare for new beginnings, one of which, we hope, is the renewal of the Livingston Education Foundation, or LEF.

It’s a good time to appreciate what the LEF has accomplished, thanks to the dedicated team that operated it for nine years, providing creative programs and technology purchases, and collaborating with many educational and townwide organizations.

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This week, the Tribune is printing its semi-annual “Celebrate Livingston’s History” section, which has grown in size and popularity over the years. Also this week, the Township Council was presented with the idea of putting forth an effort to preserve a bit of Livingston history by saving some physical aspects of the Nettie Ochs Cider Mill. A townhouse development is slated to be constructed at the site, located at 32 Old Short Hills Road.

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The Livingston Township Council, at its meeting on Monday evening, announced that members continue to be added to the Pool Committee, and a chairwoman has been named. The Council has promised that all stakeholders, including residents, will be included in its decision on the future of the pools. A consulting firm has presented two options: either spend approximately $10 million renovating the existing pools, or for about the same amount of money, close both and build one new, large pool complex.

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This past Tuesday evening, hundreds of people headed over to the Oval to take part in the township’s annual National Night Out, an event that aims to celebrate police-community partnerships, increase awareness of crime and drug prevention, strengthen town spirit, and send a message to criminals that Livingston is a united and vigilant community.

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The deadline for petitions nominating candidates for the Board of Education was this past Monday, July 31. The Tribune learned this week that Livingston resident James Calderone has filed his petition to run for the Board in the November election this year. He will be competing against incumbent Charles “Buddy” August for the one seat that will be available. We now officially have a contest.

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Coyotes have again been seen around town recently. In addition to the one spotted in the back yard of a home on Wynnwood Road last Friday, one was reported on the front lawn of a home on Hillside Drive on Tuesday. In the last few months, there have been a couple instances of coyotes being struck and killed by cars on local roadways.

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Sometimes one has to read beyond a headline. On the front of this week’s Tribune, readers will find a headline announcing that the Livingston public school district is considering some proposed new initiatives, one of which is random drug testing at Livingston High School. Right off the bat, some people, most likely students, are going to take offense at the thought of being subjected, at random, to this type of testing. The thought of not doing anything wrong, but presumably being treated like you did, can feel like an insult and an invasion. We get that, which is why it was so easy to write the previous sentence.

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In this week’s paper, a Livingston resident requested that Tribune readers consider giving a life-saving gift by donating blood this weekend.

In order to maintain a safe blood supply in the community, a seven-day inventory of all blood types must be continually replenished. According to the American Red Cross, the summer months can be an especially difficult time to collect the blood and platelets patients need for life-saving transfusions.

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The Livingston Board of Education will have one open seat to be voted on in the November 7 election. Buddy August has announced his intentions to run again for the seat which he currently holds, and as the Tribune went to press, no one else had yet filed a petition to become a candidate. The deadline for nominating petitions for the seats is July 31.

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A resident wrote to the Tribune this week decrying the practice of people sitting in their cars and letting their engines idle. He brought up an excellent point, and we’d like to take the opportunity to expand on this subject. With summer’s heat and humidity already making our air quality questionable, it’s time to once again remind motorists: idling for more than three minutes is not only illegal, it’s unhealthy for the environment. It’s a not-so “idle” threat to everyone’s well-being.

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