Livingston New Jersey news

During the period prior to the November 2 election, the West Essex Tribune will make space available to each of the Board of Education candidates, at no cost, in order for them to present their views to the public. It is our hope that this will allow the voters to make a direct comparison which will assist them in making an informed voting decision. The Tribune will not, however, accept “Letters to the Editor” from the candidates during that portion of the campaign. Nor will the Tribune publish letters of endorsement or opposition for any candidate, though we may choose to publish, in the issues before the election in October, excerpts from letters of endorsement received during the campaign.

Three candidates – Jenissa Arnette, James Calderón, and Pamela Chirls – are running for two open seats on the Board.

LANCERS SHUT OUT MOUNTAINEERS: The Livingston High School girls’ varsity volleyball team defeated the West Orange Mountaineers, 2-0, at home in the LHS Fitness and Wellness Center on Tuesday, September 14. Shown here, Lancer sophomore Elexa Bragarnik, #4, soars to score on a serve against West Orange. Last week, the Tribune inadvertently omitted the girls’ volleyball teams from our annual Fall Sports Focus section. Those pages are included elsewhere in this issue, in a cut-out format so that they can be inserted into the Focus section if desired. Don Schwartz Photo

Walter Carl Goldt, Jr. died on Wednesday, August 25, at Morristown Medical Center. He was 89 years old.

Born in Orange, he lived in Livingston for 38 years before moving to Heath Village in Hackettstown three years ago.

Mr. Goldt was an executive with the Greater New York YMCA Management Resource Center in New York City.

He was predeceased by his wife, Norma Goldt, on June 1, and is survived by two daughters, Karen (Peter) Gennaro and Dorianne (Douglas) Jerman, and four grandchildren.

A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, September 25 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Morgan Funeral Home, 31 Main Street, Netcong. Inurnment will be held privately at German Valley Cemetery in Long Valley.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mr. Goldt’s name to the American Heart Association (heart org).

Condolences may be sent to: NetcongFuneral.com.

In recent action, the Livingston High School varsity girls’ tennis team defeated West Orange and Columbia before losing to Millburn. The team has a 5-3 win-loss record.

Livingston 4, West Orange 1: The doubles teams of Rachel Friedman, Kavya Narayanan and Madelyn Ha, Allison Kwak won in straight sets.

At first singles, Rebecca Liu won the first set, but lost, 6-4, 0-6, 4-10, while Allison Miller won second singles, 6-1, 6-2. At third singles, Dana Bolanos won, 6-2, 5-7,10-2.

Livingston 5, Columbia 0: Liu and Miller won in straight sets, while Bolanos won third singles, 6-2, 2-6, 10-7. Zoe Gorsky and Zoe Weisman won first doubles 6-1, 6-1, and Allison Kwak and Isabel Lee won second doubles, 6-1, 6-1.

Ralph Oscar Hilmer, 91, a long-time resident of Livingston, passed away surrounded by his family, on September 8, 2021, in the same home in which he was raised.

He was born on April 25, 1930, in Newark to Oscar and Christine Hilmer, immigrants to this country who struggled and sacrificed through the Depression’s hardships to keep the American Dream within their only child’s reach. After moving to Livingston in 1939, Ralph attended Central School in Livingston, the Carteret School in West Orange, Rutgers College, and New York University Law School.

Long-time Livingston residents Lenore and Ira Drucks celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on September l6, 2021.

The two met when Ira came to sell insurance to Lenore’s twin brother, who had accidentally put down the wrong date for his discharge from the service. They were married at the Maplewood Manor in Maplewood one year later.

Ira grew up in Irvington and served in the Army Security Agency from 1965-69, with a oneyear tour of duty in Vietnam. Upon his return, he became an insurance agent for Prudential and then Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and worked in that capacity for over 50 years. He is retired and now specializes in selling Medicare products. Ira has been involved in many volunteer organizations in town for many years.

Lenore grew up in Newark and received her bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1971. She taught elementary school in Edison and Newark for over 25 years.

The Livingston High School boys’ cross country team opened its season in the Super Essex Conference on Tuesday, September 14, at Branch Brook Park in Newark.

“For four consecutive Tuesdays, the Lancer squad goes against American Division foes in dual meet action,” explains coach Jim Memory. “On the fifth week, the championship meet will be held. The course is flat, with a one-mile inner loop and a 2.1 mile outer loop with a slight upgrade to the finish line.”

During last week’s season opener, the Lancers were pitted against American Division rivals Millburn, Montclair and Bloomfield – “all tough opponents,” according to coach Memory.

Each year, the meet opened with a mixed-gender freshman/novice twomile race. That race is followed by numerous varsity races within divisions, and the meet ends with a mixed junior varsity five kilometer race.

Last week, a letter was sent out to Livingston residents, explaining that at least one township well is above the limit of a recently-regulated contaminant. While that letter provided useful information, it also encouraged residents to do their own research on whether or not to drink the water.

This contaminant, PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), falls under a broader category of PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) and is a synthetic chemical found in everyday household products, as well as in things like firefighting foam.

PFAS is used to make products stain, grease, heat and water resistant, and its sturdy structure means it takes much longer to break down in comparison to organic chemicals. More specifically, PFOA are used for its emulsifier and surfactant properties, or as fluoropolymers (such as Teflon), firefighting foams, cleaners, cosmetics, greases and lubricants, paints, polishes, adhesives and photographic films.

LANCER BOYS SOCCER TEAM DEFEATS MILLBURN: The Livingston High School boys varsity soccer team defeated Millburn, 1-0, on the turf on Thursday, September 9. Shown here, Lancer goalie Logan Paredes starts a scoring drive with a goal kick. Don Schwartz Photo

A letter is being sent out to Livingston residents, explaining that at least one township well is above the limit of a recently-regulated contaminant. This contaminant, PFAS, is found in everyday household products, as well as things like firefighting foam.

The well in violation has been shut off at the moment, so there is no active township well in excess of the limit. However, there appear to be additional wells that will be above the threshold once fourth quarter measurements are taken into account.

Township manager Barry Lewis added that remedial measures are underway, and have been since before the regulations were put in place. These measures will likely take a year or two to complete. He noted that this issue is widespread throughout the state and country, and is affecting most neighboring towns, some worse than others.