Livingston community

It is out with the old and in with the… old? Our new interim superintendent is our old interim superintendent.

Last week, the Livingston Public Schools’ Board of Education announced its intention to hire James O’Neill as the interim superintendent for the district, following Chris Steffner’s resignation at the end of July. If that name sounds familiar, it is because O’Neill previously led the district during the 2014-15 academic year.

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NEW LHS TURF FIELD IS ON SCHEDULE: Crews are wrapping up work on the turf field replacement project at Livingston High School. Weather permitting, the new turf field should be completed by the end of this week/beginning of next week. Work began about five weeks ago.

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TREE AND WIRES DOWN: Springbrook Road was closed between Tremont Terrace and Shrewsbury Drive Tuesday into Wednesday due to multiple utility poles being taken down by trees. The resulting downed wires caused some residents to experience power outages. The area was still closed to traffic at press time Wednesday.

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The Livingston community continues to mourn two high school students who died tragically last week.

The two rising Livingston High School seniors, Isabella Brodsky, 17, and Matthew Poole, 18, drowned in Ramapo Lake in Oakland on Tuesday, August 7, after a sudden storm made the water too difficult to navigate. According to reports, Brodsky was struggling and Poole jumped in to help her, but neither was able to make it out of the lake. The pair was among a small group of friends present at the lake at the time.

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Two pedestrians and a motorcyclist were hit by cars in three separate accidents in town last week, according to the Livingston Police Department.

Motorcyclist Struck

At about 3 p.m. on Monday, August 6, Susan Whalen, 58, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, was driving a 2015 Jeep Cherokee on Amelia Avenue preparing to make a left turn onto South Livingston Avenue.

A truck in the right lane was blocking Whalen’s view, and she turned thinking the roadway was clear, not seeing a motorcyclist coming.

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During the past week, Livingston’s volunteer firefighters responded to three calls concerning gas lines that had been struck.

Firefighters went to Newark Academy at 91 South Orange Avenue on Tuesday, August 7, after a contractor digging for sprinkler pipes struck a four inch pipe. The area was secured, and Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) was notified. Gas was shut off at the lawn valve. The school was checked with the Fire Department’s natural gas meter, but no readings were found.

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At its meeting on Thursday evening, August 9, the Livingston Planning Board began hearing an application for a minor subdivision and preliminary and final site plan with variances for CP Management Group II.

The property in question, located at 92 South Livingston Avenue, was previously home to a Bank of America on the westerly side of the road.

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Dr. Robert S. Kish, 79, former Livingston school superintendent, passed away Friday, August 3 at his home in Milford Township, Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, he was the son of Stephen Kish and Elizabeth Banyaeski and was married to Maryellen (Marrow) Kish for 56 years. Robert, an Army veteran with the rank of Captain, earned a doctorate from Rutgers University. He served as the superintendent of schools in Livingston for 12 years, and subsequently for the Pennridge school district for 17 years, retiring in 2013. Robert was well known on the quarter horse show circuit in New Jersey, showing a top winning performance horse, and was a popular horse show judge. He also bred and showed award-winning German shepherd dogs and was an AKC (American Kennel Club) licensed judge. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sisters, Peggy Rider of Woodbridge and Betty Schlatter of Toms River.

Angelo P. Castucci, a Livingston resident for 40 years, died on August 8. He was 77 years old. He was born in Newark and was an educator in the Newark public school system, finishing his career as a vice-principal at Holy Trinity School in Westfield. He was a member of the men’s choir at St. Lucy’s Church in Newark and a parishioner of St. Philomena’s Church in Livingston, belonging to its men’s group. Mr. Castucci was the husband of Gloria (née Mozino); the father of Frank Castucci and his wife, Kimberly; and the grandfather of two. He was predeceased by his sisters, Rose Sierchio, Dottie Westrich and Marian Donofrio; and is survived by his sister, Vera Baldassare. Donations in his memory may be made to the New Jersey chapter of Autism Speaks, 1060 State Road. second floor, Princeton, NJ 08540; autismspeaks.org. The funeral was held at the Galante Funeral Home in Caldwell and a Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Philomena’s Church.

Gladys Dawson Fiveland of Lamoine, Maine, formerly of Livingston, died February 1, after a five-year battle with dementia. Mrs. Fiveland was born to John and Emma Dawson in New York state on April 1, 1924. Her father built a house in Livingston, and she attended Livingston schools until the eighth grade. She was graduated from high school in West Orange in 1942 and worked as a secretary for the Beneficial Management Group in Newark. In 1946, she married Arthur Fiveland, and became the mother of twin sons, David Nicholi and Andrew Karl, later having a daughter, Eleanor Jean.