News

Funds to explore building a multiuse facility to support performing arts at Livingston High School were approved by the Board of Education on Monday night.

The Board authorized the expenditure of $30,000 to DiCara Rubino Architects to explore the idea and whether such a facility can incorporate shared space for community arts groups.

The architect, explained school superintendent Matthew Block, the primary speaker about the project, “will begin to take us through the process.”

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Flags at Livingston Fire Headquarters were lowered to half-staff to honor the life of long-time Fire Chief Charles Schilling, who died last Tuesday, January 21, at the age of 98. Funeral services were held on Monday, January 27. The fire house was formally renamed the Charles W. Schilling Fire Headquarters after Schilling retired as Fire Chief in 1990. Additional photos, as well as comments from those who knew the Chief, can be found on pages A-6 and A-7 of this issue of the Tribune . In addition, our editorial space this week is dedicated to the Chief, who gave so much of himself to Livingston.

Jerry Siskind and LFD Photos

Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) presented its inaugural Community Service Awards this week. Shown above, LPI founder and director Jeff Friedman presents the first of two Community Service Awards to Danielle Oliveira, who produced a promotional video for the Livingston-based charity. Also receiving an award was Allison Eglow, who developed LPI’s website. At the recent LPI board meeting, Friedman noted that, to date, LPI has collected and distributed more than 12,000 coats. “Keep ’em coming,” he urges Livingston residents. Coats, winter accessories, travel-sized toiletries, businesswear, women’s hygiene products, and diapers may be dropped during business hours at the West Essex Tribune, 495 South Livingston Avenue, next to ShopRite. For private pick-up, email Friedman at njhomeless@aol.com.   

Past Livingston Fire Chief Charles “Charlie” Schilling died Tuesday evening at Inglemoor Care Center. He was 98 years old.

“He truly was one in a million and a true legend here in Livingston,” Fire Chief Chris Mullin said. “Chief Schilling was a remarkable man and was a true leader during his 36 years as Livingston’s Fire Chief, including his extensive involvement in the fire code enforcement community in the State of New Jersey.”

Funeral arrangements were not announced as of press time, but they will be posted to the West Essex Tribune’s Facebook page once they are set.

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A West Orange man is facing drug charges after he crashed his car and was found with marijuana, Livingston Police said.

At about 12:55 a.m. on Wednesday, January 15, Gavrel Golan, 42, of West Orange was operating a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee and travelling west on East Mt. Pleasant Avenue near Force Hill Road when his vehicle left the roadway. It then struck a pole and overturned.

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The Livingston Planning Board met on Tuesday, January 21, to discuss two hearings for property on Scott Terrace.

The first hearing was a minor subdivision with variances, at the corner of East McClellan Avenue and Scott Terrace for applicant JMZ Enterprises. The applicant sought to subdivide lot 21 to create four new lots that measure approximately 14,484 square feet, 10,691 square feet, 11,171 square feet and 18,616 square feet, respectively. They also want to increase the footprint size and storage volume of the new surface detention basin to incorporate the original Scott Terrace subdivision, which will eliminate the previously approved underground detention basin from beneath the roadway.

More than a dozen unlocked cars were burglarized last weekend in the same area of the township, according to Livingston Police.

Officers took reports of 15 unlocked cars being broken into on Sunday, January 19. Officers first responded to a 2 a.m. 911 call from a resident on Fellswood Drive, who reported seeing two men pulling on the door handles of cars parked in his driveway. The resident initially shouted out to the men and then called the police. The caller told police that the suspects had left in the direction of Greenwood Court.

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It was a “Day On” this past Monday, January 20, at the Livingston Senior/ Community Center, where the annual Day of Service was held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Several hundred people attended the three-hour event, which encouraged residents to make the most of their time off for the holiday, “A Day On, Not a Day Off.”

“This gets larger every year,” mayor Rudy Fernandez said. “Thank you to the volunteers for making a difference in our neighbors’ lives.”

“That’s what we need, we need more volunteerism,” councilman Michael Vieira said. “Just as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, let’s celebrate volunteerism in Livingston.”

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In his weekly update on Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), founder and director Jeff Friedman noted, “Collins Elementary School fourth and fifth-graders proved that the ‘giving season’ wasn’t over at the end of 2019’s holiday season.”
Under the auspices of the Student Council and PTO parent volunteer Sherri Lynn Marrache, LPI was presented with more than 100 warm coats and bags of winter accessories by the Collins students who collected them. “Just in time for the frigid temperatures,” said Jeff Friedman.
Along with coats dropped at the offices of the West Essex Tribune, LPI volunteers delivered a total of 162 garments, along with hats, gloves and scarves, to long-time distribution associate Willing Heart Community Care Center in Newark. Willing Heart immediately distributed the needed warmth at no cost to the homeless and profoundly poor through its Clothing Boutique.

TREE WORK: The eastbound lane of East Hobart Gap Road was closed from South Livingston Avenue on Monday, January 13, as crews worked to remove trees along the roadway. MI Photo

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