Livingston Tribune

The Livingston Planning Board, at its meeting on Tuesday, June 18, heard a final summation for a proposed drive-through Starbucks coffee shop on South Livingston Avenue. Two other applications on the agenda, for JMZ Enterprises and Green Terrace Homes, LLC, were adjourned at the applicants’ request to the Board’s meeting on Tuesday, July 9.

On May 7, the Planning Board split its approval of an application by CP Management Group II, LLC, for minor subdivision and preliminary and final site plan with variances for the property located at 92 South Livingston Avenue.The site was previously home to Bank of America. The applicant has proposed to subdivide existing Lot 3 to create two new lots. The existing, now-vacant building would be expanded on one of the new lots to house a child care center, Lightbridge Academy. A Starbucks with a drivethrough is proposed to be constructed on the second lot.

The Livingston Board of Education met on Monday evening, June 17. It was the final meeting for interim superintendent of schools Jim O’Neill, who is returning to retirement now that a new superintendent, Dr. Matthew J. Block, has been hired.

In attendance at the meeting were O’Neill’s wife, friends, members of the West Orange school district where he had also served, and members of the Livingston Township Council and township administration.

In bidding farewell to O’Neill – who has twice served the district as interim superintendent – Board of Education president Charles “Buddy” August thanked him for “saving this district twice.” Board members echoed his comments. Board vice president Ronnie Konner noted, “Jim has always exceeded our expectations in every way.”

During the Monday, June 17, Township Council conference meeting, Livingston Police Chief Gary Marshuetz addressed the Council members, providing an update on his first year in the position.

Chief Marshuetz took on the role in an acting capacity in summer 2018 before being officially sworn in as the department leader last September. He said his knowledge of the department and those preliminary months on the job allowed him to “hit the ground running” when he was formally named Chief of Police.

Among the issues he sought to address in his first few months were improving morale, giving the department a “small town feel,” projecting compassion, and being problem solving oriented. Much of this, particularly the morale, he said was improved by placing an added focus on the patrol division. The largest division in the department, Chief Marshuetz restructured certain positions to put four more officers on patrol without adding to LPD’s overall staff of 71 officers.

Adam J. Alt Jr., 101, of Pittstown, formerly of Livingston, died Saturday, June 8, at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington.

Mr. Alt was born in Newark in 1917. After graduating from high school, he began work at the Wilbur B. Driver Company as an office boy. In 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for four years as a second lieutenant, spending two years in the Persian Gulf.

After the war, he returned to W.B. Driver and worked his way up to vice president of production. In 1973, he and his wife Ruth transferred to Orangeburg, S.C., where he managed the GTE Company, which was later bought by Verizon. He retired in 1979.

Adam married Ruth Engeman in 1941. They raised eight children in Livingston before moving to Bernardsville in 1963. He also lived in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Mr. Alt was predeceased by his wife in 2007 after 66 years of marriage. He was also predeceased by his three brothers, Charles, Norman, and Edward Alt.

Ellen Harriet Schiavo, known to family and friends as “Midge,” died Saturday, June 15, at the age of 56.

Mrs. Schiavo is survived by her children, Michael (Amanda) and Kevin (Emily) Flynn; her partner, John Cammarata; her parents, Daniel and Ellen Schiavo; her siblings, Dana (Michael) Goldstein, Daniel (Jeanne) Schiavo Jr., Tina Schiavo, and Dean Schiavo; and three grandchildren.

Born in Jersey City on August 1, 1962, Ms. Schiavo grew up in Livingston, graduating from Livingston High School with the class of 1980.

Visitation was held on Sunday, June 16, at Shook-Farmer Funeral Home, Roseland. Funeral services were held on Monday, June 17, at Shook-Farmer Funeral Home, followed by a funeral Mass at St. Raphael’s Church, Livingston. Cremation was private.

Editor’s Note: This week, in his own words, Livingston Philanthropies Inc. founder and director Jeff Friedman describes how Livingston residents’ donations to LPI have helped a Newark agency, the Bessie Green Community, Inc.
    •    •    •
It’s gratifying to see how our Livingston friends and nieghbors have come together to benefit a key Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) distribution partner, the Bessie Green Community, Inc. in Newark.
Known among its neighbors as “The Red Door,” the Bessie Green Community, located at North Reformed Church on Broad Street, has been serving the underprivileged of Newark since 1978. As one of LPI’s founding distribution partners, Bessie Green has received Livingston’s generous donations of new and gently used coats, family clothing, toiletries and cosmetics gift bags since LPI’s inception over eight years ago.

Celina Rosenblum of Livingston died Saturday evening, June 8, at her home in Livingston.

She is survived by her children, Melvin Rosenblum, Harry Rosenblum and Annette Taffet; their spouses, Janet Rosenblum, Bonnie Rosenblum and Mark Taffet; and seven grandchildren and nine greatgrandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Idek.

Mrs. Rosenblum was born in Cracow, Poland, in 1929. She was a Holocaust survivor and was liberated from Auschwitz. She married her husband in 1946 in Austria, and they came to the U.S., where they settled in Cleveland, Ohio. Subsequently they lived in Vineland; Toronto, Canada; Clifton; and Fort Lee. After Mr. Rosenblum’s death, Mrs. Rosenblum moved to Livingston.

She was a supporter of her Jewish community, synagogues, the Cracow Society, the Solomon Schechter School, the Joseph Kushner Academy, the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled, State of Israel Bonds, and Yad Vashem.

Jason Kaplan, who grew up in Livingston and is currently a resident of Verona, is a physical education teacher in Montclair. But this year, he may add a new title to his resumé: “American Ninja Warrior.”

The 35-year-old former resident competes in the season 11 of the popular television show of the same name this month. At press time, the episode, originally scheduled to be broadcast on Monday, June 17, at 8 p.m., was bumped by the NHL Stanley Cup finals, and may possibly air on another night.

Kaplan is no stranger to either physical strength or competition. As a student at Burnet Hill, Heritage, and Livingston High, he says, “I tried team sports, town soccer, Little League. Nothing clicked with me. But I was always into fitness. When I was a little kid, my dad showed me the movie Pumping Iron, and I think that inspired me.”

Livingston residents and businesses will soon receive a letter, if they haven’t already, asking for financial support for our Fire Department. The Livingston Fire Department has been serving the township since 1921; we are fast approaching the 100th anniversary of the Department providing service to Livingston. It is closing in on a century of protecting the lives and property of Livingston residents.

What many residents may not know is that the Livingston Fire Department is an all-volunteer squad. These firefighters are your friends and neighbors who donate their time to ensuring public safety. Our 58 unpaid volunteer firefighters and three volunteer deputy chiefs are led by a full-time fire chief and an assistant chief. They are on call 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, to provide fire protection and other emergency services to their neighbors.

While the West Essex Tribune’s regular readership may not notice any changes to this week’s issue, some are picking up our paper for the first time. This week’s edition is a TMC (Total Market Coverage) issue, the second of three newspapers this year that we will send to every residence in Livingston.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/West%20Essex%20TribuneID480/