latest news from Livingston

LIBRARY ROOF: A roofer from VMG Group of Roselle, N.J. removes the old roof from the Livingston Library before installing a new one on Tuesday, October 12. Jerry Siskind Photo

Seven community members chose to attend the Livingston Board of Education’s first hybrid meeting since the pandemic closed schools in March, 2020. Twenty chairs were set up, socially distanced, in the conference room of the Board’s offices at 11 Foxcroft Drive.

Audience members showed their driver’s licenses and vaccination cards before entering the building.

“It’s wonderful to see people here in person,” Board of Education president Samantha Messer said.

An additional 33 people attended the meeting via a Zoom webinar.

Attendance was limited to 20 attendees, and the Board of Education meetings will continue to be held via webinar and livestreamed.

Board member Vineeta Khanna, participating from India by webinar, said. “It’s a delight to be logging in at 3:30 a.m. I so look forward to the next meeting where I can be in person with the public.”

Allowing a Negative PCR Test

The Livingston Township Council introduced one ordinance concerning water restrictions, deferred several others, and passed resolutions at its Tuesday, October 12, meeting. Also discussed was a TV show that recently filmed at Livingston High School and a potential street name change. The meeting was held virtually and may be viewed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.

At the start of the meeting, a proclamation was issued declaring October 2021 as Hindu Heritage Month in Livingston, recognizing the contributions of Hindu-Americans in the township. A resolution noting the month also passed later in the meeting.

Coben Show

The Council discussed the Harlan Coben pilot that filmed this week at Livingston High School. Should the show be ordered to series by Amazon, there is a chance Livingston would be used frequently as a setting in the show.

THREE CONSECUTIVE WINS: The Livingston High School girls’ varsity soccer team defeated the Bayonne Bees, 6-0, on the LHS turf on Monday, October 4. The Lancers next defeated Bloomfield, 3-0, and West Essex, 3-1, at home to advance in the Essex County Tournament. Shown above, Lancer forward Giulia Wilson elevates to score on a header against Bayonne. Below, Lancer teammate Katherine Riccardi congratulates Wilson on the header goal. At bottom, Lancer wing Bella DiLanni beats the Bayonne defender downfield. Don Schwartz Photos

Anna Marie Smykowski, 100, died on October 5 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Born and raised in Newark, Mrs. Smykowski lived in Livingston and Caldwell before moving to Verona in 1972 and to Nanticoke, Pennsylvania in 2020.

She worked as an assembler for Ballantine Labs in Parsippany and for Monsanto Corp. in West Caldwell. She was a member of the Rosary Society of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Verona and St. Philomena Church in Livingston.

She was predeceased by her siblings, Margaret Munk, George Greb, Alfred Smith, Bertha Centrella, Charles Greb, Frank Greb, and Raymond Greb, and is survived by many nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass was offered in Our Lady of the Lake Church on Friday, October 8. Entombment followed in Holy Cross Cemetery Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Our Lady of the Lake Endowment Fund, 22 Lakeside Avenue, Verona, New Jersey 07044.

CAMUSO SCHLEPPING: Camuso “Elves” began the process of moving display items into their permanent off-season home this past weekend, the barn at the Oval. Shown at right, Camuso Elf Sondra Hantman signs and dates the wall inside the barn, as all elves who worked there this past weekend did. Above, Camuso Elves carry the heavy tree pole into the barn. At bottom right, an electrician from the Township of Livingston installs electricity to the Camuso barn next to the gazebo at the Livingston Oval on Tuesday, October 12, so that the Camuso Holiday Display Committee can move into high gear repairing and building new displays for Livingston’s famous Camuso Holiday Display. Jerry Siskind and NBD Photos

The Livingston High School varsity tennis team defeated Morristown and Bergen Tech in the North I, Group IV Sectional Tournament to advance to the sectional final against Ridgewood. The team also lost a Super Essex Conference match to Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA).

Livingston 5, Morristown 0: The North 1, Group 4 Sectional quarterfinal saw Rebecca Liu, Chloe Lee, and Allison Miller win straight set singles matches and Rachel Friedman and Zoe Weisman win second doubles in straight sets. The Lancers’ first doubles team of Lindsay Bisk and Jessica Su split sets before winning, 6-1, 4-6, 10-4 in a ten-point match tiebreaker.

The five senior varsity players were honored after the match for Senior Day. They are Rachel Friedman, Annica Dong, Edel Schnyder, Lindsay Bisk, and Allison Miller.

POLE INSPECTION: Employees of Osmose Company of Georgia are inspecting telephone poles in Livingston for communications and power companies which is done every 15 years. This involves digging down several feet to determine if the pole has started to rot out. Those compromised poles, such as the one shown here on Trocha Avenue on Wednesday, October 6, are mitigated and brought up to standards with a six foot long piece of steel. The steel is knocked into the ground around the pole with a black hydraulic hammer, shown in the center of the picture, and it is attached to the pole with steel bands. Jerry Siskind Photo

This past Tuesday, the Livingston Public Schools Board of Education held its first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. A limited number of attendees – just 20 – were allowed in the room, and sat distanced and masked during the meeting. The rest of the viewing public watched the meeting live online, as has been the case for over a year and half.

This was the first of what we assume will be several returns to in-person meetings in the coming weeks. The Township Council has similarly been developing a plan to meet in person, likely in time for the next meeting on Monday, October 25.

Two weeks ago, the rims at the basketball courts near Livingston High School were “locked.” Bars were placed on top of them so that a basketball could not get through the hoop, preventing the very popular courts from being of any use.

The courts were closed at the behest of the township’s Department of Public Works, whose employees have spent too much time collecting trash around the courts. This action, a punishment of sorts, was designed to encourage the users of the court to shape up their act and learn to properly dispose of their refuse. The rims were originally supposed to be locked for one week,

The rims were originally supposed to be locked for one week, but following public outcry, they were reopened less than a day later. Should the trash issue continue, however, officials said that the rims would again be locked.