Livingston New Jersey news

The Livingston Board of Education took a number of business actions at its April 23 meeting.

Replace LHS Turf Field

The Board approved a contract to remove and replace the synthetic turf field at Livingston High School.

The contract is with FieldTurf USA, through Keystone Purchasing Network, for a total of $456,688 . The quote had specified a cost of $503,779 with a deduction of $47,091 to reuse the existing infill material.

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The Livingston Zoning Board of Adjustment plowed through eleven residential applications for variances at its meeting on April 24. Ten were approved, including three for new homes on Force Hill Road.

In several cases, neighbors came to voice approval of the applications.

An application by Ranjan and Debasmita Pradhan to build a new single family home at 139 W. Northfield Road was adjourned to the May 22 meeting. The Board suggested that the applicants redesign the project in part to meet the required building height.

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Former Livingston resident and police officer David Wilson Ackerman died in his Florham Park home on April 18. He was 78 years old. A memorial gathering was held Friday, April 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Hancliffe Home for Funerals in East Hanover. In addition, a memorial service was held Saturday, April 21, at 2 p.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Florham Park. Born in Glen Ridge, Mr. Ackerman resided in Livingston before moving to Florham Park 45 years ago. He began his law enforcement career as a police officer with the Township of Livingston; then worked as the manager of corporate security at Macy’s Northeast for 37 years. He then served with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office as a senior systems analyst before retiring in 2016. Mr. Ackerman was a volunteer fireman in Livingston before moving to Florham Park, where he became active with that community’s First Aid Squad, FP Community TV, and the Fourth of July Parade Committee. Surviving Mr.

Marilyn L. Zirl of Livingston died Sunday, April 22, after battling cancer. She is survived by her daughter, Barbara; her son David and his wife, Lisa; and three grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Freddy. Mrs. Zirl was born in Newark on March 16, 1933, grew up in West Orange, and lived in Livingston for 55 years. She attended Cornell University and earned a bachelor of arts degree from Barnard College and a master of arts degree from Teachers’ College, Columbia University. She was initially a French and English teacher at West Orange High School and later taught French and home-bound students in Livingston. She then worked as a synagogue administrator at Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange, and at the Jewish Community Center of Fort Lee. She retired this past June after spending nearly 16 years as the administrator of the Sister Rose Thering Fund at Seton Hall University. Mrs.

Mary E. Pontrelli (née Long), died Sunday, April 22, at her home in Livingston. She was 84 years old. Funeral services will be held today, Thursday, April 26, at 9 a.m. at the O’Boyle Funeral Home in Bloomfi eld. A funeral Mass will offered at 10 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Church in Montclair. Interment will follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery. Mrs. Pontrelli is survived by her children, Anthony and his wife, America, of Texas; Celia Higgins and her husband, William, of Flor ham Park; and Angela Stetz and her husband, Gary, of Livingston; and five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was predeceased by her husband, Emilio Pontrelli; and her siblings, Dennis, Robert, Anne, Joan, and Ruth.

Stella Mark (née Kaltman) died peacefully in the company of family on April 20, 2018. She was 97 years old. Stella moved to Livingston in 1954 and lived there until moving to an assisted living facility in late 2017. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She loved music. She and her husband, Joseph Mark, played mandolin and guitar, respectively, and often gathered with friends to sing traditional folk songs. She was also an avid, lifelong reader. As a World War II bride and then homemaker, Stella had not had an opportunity to pursue a college education. She remedied this by enrolling at Caldwell College in 1969, at the age of 49. She earned a bachelor’s degree in library science. She worked as a librarian, and for the New Jersey Psychological Association. Late in life, Stella took up watercolor painting. She continued this pursuit into her 97th year. Her family members are proud to have her framed art in their households.

The man with the friendly smile and the twinkle in his eye is gone. Gil Adams died Sunday morning, April 15, 2018 at the Presbyterian Home in New Hartford. He was 94 years old. Born in Newark on December 23, 1923, in God’s Country — New Jersey, for the uninitiated – Gil spent his first 40 years in the Garden State: 24 in Caldwell, his hometown, and 16 in Livingston. He graduated from Caldwell High School, and subsequently followed his older brother to Hamilton College in the fall of 1941. Pearl Harbor cast its shadow over the future; Gil enlisted in the Army Air Force to study meteorology at New York University in 1943. He maintained that one of the three most important events of his life was his commission as a First Lieutenant in the Army Air Force. He served as a weather officer at Offutt Field near Omaha and Lowry Field in Denver. Gil came back to College Hill in Clinton in 1946, and received his diploma in mathematics in 1947.

With warmer weather on its way, it’s a great time to make good on that New Year’s resolution to get more exercise. The Livingston Business Improvement District is making that a little easier next week with a Fitness Crawl, giving people access to a dozen township gyms and studios free of charge from Monday, April 23, through Friday, April 27.

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Later this month, on Saturday, April 28, the Livingston Police Department will collect unwanted prescription medication as part of Operation Take Back NJ. The collaboration is an effort between local police departments, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s HIDTA Task Force, Partnership for a Drug-Free NJ, and ADAPT of Essex County.

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Volunteerism can take many forms, several of which have been on display this past week in Livingston.

The Planning Board recently revealed the township’s Master Plan, a wide-ranging document that is updated roughly every ten years. The plan was created by a group of hard-working volunteers who dedicated countless hours to completing it. Without the tireless efforts of those volunteers, township manager Barry Lewis said Livingston would have had to pay a large sum to complete the job. He said had the plan not been handled “in-house,” it would have likely been a six-figure burden on the taxpayers.

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