MAYOR'S UPDATE: AUGUST 27

As summer winds down, don’t miss the last Sweet Sounds of the season this Tuesday night! It has been fantastic to see such a wonderful turnout every week on Open Quimby, with many residents and visitors out and about to support our downtown businesses.

We are also in the final stretch of the season at Memorial Pool, and I want to thank our very dedicated staff for delivering another successful summer to the community. The last day will be Monday, September 6, so there’s still time to get a few final visits in before the facility closes for the year.

As we look toward the fall, there are a lot of exciting plans coming together -- from the Tour de Westfield (see details below), to Alternative Energy Week activities, to AddamsFest. We will continue to keep a close eye on the Delta variant and public health recommendations, especially after the return to school in September, to inform our decisions and keep the safety of the community top of mind.

My next update will be on Friday, September 10. Have a wonderful weekend!

COVID-19 UPDATE

Today, New Jersey reported the third straight day when hospitalizations surpassed 1,000 across the state, and the CDC reports that all of New Jersey’s 21 counties are now listed as having high rates of coronavirus transmission.

Locally, 38 cases were identified in Westfield between August 20 and August 26, up slightly from 36 the previous week. Of these 38 cases, the age ranges are broken down as follows:

Age 9 and under: Nine cases
Age 10-19: Four cases
Age 20-29: Four cases
Age 30-39: Four cases
Age 40-49: Eight cases
Age 50-59: Three cases
Age 60-69: Three cases
Age 70-79: Two cases
Age 80-89: One case
Age 90 and above: No cases

As it takes time to obtain breakthrough case information, we will include that data in the monthly reports.

I am saddened to report an additional fatality -- an 83 year-old female who was hospitalized -- bringing Westfield’s total number of COVID deaths to 59.

The state’s seven-day average for new confirmed cases is up 10% from a week ago and up 132% from a month ago. The statewide transmission rate is 1.16.

Statewide, vaccination rates have increased 2% from last week’s rate, with an average of 22.6K doses administered per day. More than 5.5 million New Jersey residents are fully vaccinated.

In Union County, 372,444 (67% of the total population) have received one dose of vaccine, and 329,466 (59% of the total population) are fully vaccinated.

In Westfield, 95% of those 65 and older, 94% of those 30 and older, 96% of the adult population (18+), and 76% of the entire population has been vaccinated with at least one dose. In terms of fully vaccinated residents ,the data shows 91% of those 65 and older, 90% of those 30 and older, 90% of adults (18+), and 71% of the entire population.

The Health Department continues to provide guidance to the schools as they await the formal NJDOH updated school guidance document.

Any resident interested in receiving the vaccine can call the Health Department at 908-789-4070.

POLICE UPDATE

Chief Battiloro reports the following notable incident since my last update:

August 26
At approximately 1:14 AM, officers on routine patrol observed a 2016 gray Honda Accord on the 1700 block of Boulevard. The vehicle was observed in a stationary position in the middle of the roadway with its headlights off. As the officers approached the vehicle to investigate, they observed a male person walking down the driveway of a nearby residence. The subject entered the front passenger side of the 2016 gray Honda Accord, its headlights lights were activated, and the vehicle then fled north on Boulevard. A computer inquiry of the vehicle’s registration indicated it was stolen from East Orange on August 23. The officers attempted to stop the stolen car, but its driver refused to stop and a pursuit ensued. They pursued the stolen vehicle north to Marlboro Street, then south on Central Avenue into Clark. The officers terminated the pursuit on Central Avenue in Clark after losing sight of the stolen vehicle, which was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed.

As Chief Battiloro has repeatedly reported, unlocked high-end vehicles are being targeted for burglary and theft. Suspects will usually exit accompanying vehicles, approach the target vehicles on foot, and then pull on the door their handles. If the vehicles are unlocked, suspects will enter and attempt to start and steal them. In just about all documented instances, the accompanying vehicles are also stolen.

While no vehicles were reported stolen this week, there have been 19 vehicles reported stolen to date in 2021, 17 of which were subsequently recovered. Chief Battiloro reports that 90% of these vehicles were left unlocked with their key fobs inside at the time of their thefts.

Please take appropriate action to protect your property. This includes removing valuables, including key fobs, and locking vehicles at all times, regardless of time of day. Also, please report all suspicious persons, vehicles and/or activities immediately via 9-1-1. Chief Battiloro advises that officers responding to your reports of suspicious vehicles, persons, and activities have undoubtedly prevented additional property crimes from occurring.

For a more inclusive account of police activities, please see the weekly Police Blotter, which is posted every Tuesday on the Westfield Police Department’s website, as well as on the Westfield Police Department’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

TOUR DE WESTFIELD

Save the date of September 26 to participate in the Town’s very first Tour de Westfield! Planned activities include a three-mile family bike parade led by the Westfield Police Department, a Bike Safety Rodeo hosted by the WPD, the Tour de Tots activity for younger children on tricycles, and a Safe Bike Check hosted by Jay's Cycle Center.

Many thanks to the Recreation Commission and Police Department for their work in organizing an exciting new community event. Additional details and registration information will be available in September.

MARCH TO YORKTOWN

Don’t miss the re-enactment of a valuable piece of Westfield’s history this weekend! On Sunday, beginning at 11:00 AM in Mindowaskin Park, historical interpreters representing French Generals Rochambeau and Chastellux will march through Town to commemorate the 240th Anniversary of the March to Yorktown, Virginia.

On August 29, 1781, Continental soldiers passed through Westfield on the way to Princeton to meet with two columns of the French army, before the combined forces continued on to Yorktown to besiege the position of British General Lord Cornwallis. The allied forces, along with some women and children, traveled nearly 700 miles on land and on water to Yorktown. The surrender of Cornwallis on October 19, 1781 assured the independence of the United States.

As a native of Yorktown, Virginia, this march is a piece of American history that is particularly familiar to me. It’s wonderful to see its connection to Westfield commemorated by the dedicated volunteers of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. Please come out and join them, rain or shine -- U.S. and French flag waving is encouraged! For more information, email WashingtonRochambeauAssoc@gmail.com.

OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY

The Town of Westfield is proud to partner with The Matthew Thomas Toriello Memorial Fund and The Albert Anthony Kayal Foundation to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day on Tuesday, August 31.

In honor of the lives lost to overdose and in celebration of those in recovery, 211 purple flags will be displayed on the lawn of the Municipal Building – one for each life lost in Union County between January 2020 and June 2021. Of these 211 lives lost, three were from Westfield.

The MTT Memorial Fund was created in honor of Matthew Thomas Toriello of Westfield, who passed on the morning of Aug 11, 2019 from an accidental opioid overdose. In Matt’s life, addiction education and prevention, recovery, and helping youth became the focus of his efforts. The Fund serves to continue Matthew’s legacy and therefore shares the same mission.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, join us in honoring those we lost too soon as well as those who struggle with addiction every day. As a stigma-free community, we all have a role to play in spreading the message about the tragedy of drug overdose death and the resources available to those facing addiction.