MAYOR'S UPDATE:
DECEMBER 3

Thanks to everyone who came out to our annual Christmas tree and menorah lightings last weekend! With the holidays upon us, don’t miss the various events around town to celebrate the season (see details below) and to support our local businesses. As a reminder, the new Downtown Westfield Gift Card is an easy way to keep your holiday spending local! For a full list of participating stores, and to purchase a gift card, visit bit.ly/DWCgiftcard.

Looking ahead to next week, we have a Town Council meeting on Tuesday night, where we will honor the WHS Girls Soccer Team for their recent State Championship win!

Wishing you all a great weekend!

COVID-19 UPDATE

The new Omicron variant has been identified in five states to date, although health officials stress that much remains unknown about its severity and how current vaccines perform against it. In response to the new variant, President Biden has extended the mask requirement on all domestic flights and public transportation through March 18. In addition, all inbound international travelers will be required to test within one day of departure for the United States starting on Monday.

Today, New Jersey reported the highest number of positive tests in one day since April 2. In addition, statewide hospitalizations have climbed 59% since November 1, with nearly all of those currently hospitalized being unvaccinated.

Regional Health Officer Megan Avallone reports that four of the six regions in New Jersey (including our Central East region) are showing high levels of activity, and for the first time since mid-September, statewide activity is now listed as high.

For the month of November, there were 194 cases identified in Westfield (up from 93 in October). The age ranges are broken down as follows:

Age 9 and under: 35 cases
Age 10-19: 53 cases
Age 20-29: 14 cases
Age 30-39: 14 cases
Age 40-49: 31 cases
Age 50-59: 34 cases
Age 60-69: 9 cases
Age 70-79: 2 cases
Age 80-89: 2 cases
Age 90 and above: No cases

The state’s seven-day average for new confirmed cases is up 36% from a week ago and 128% from a month ago, the highest average since April 24. The statewide transmission rate is 1.15.

Local health officials are continuing to monitor for the Omicron variant, as New York announced the identification of five cases on Thursday. Disease trends seen in the New York City area often emerge in our area at the same time.

Statewide, vaccination rates have increased just under 1% from last week’s rate, with an average of 42.6K doses administered per day. More than 6.2 million New Jersey residents are fully vaccinated. More than 1.33 million people in the state have received third doses or boosters, and at least 145,000 doses have been administered to children between the ages of 5 and 11.

In Union County, 68% of the population is fully vaccinated. In Westfield, 97% of adults and 77% of our entire population is fully vaccinated. Additional breakdowns by location and age group can be found on the NJ COVID Dashboard. Note that the fully vaccinated data does not include booster shot information.

The Health Department’s immunization outreach continues with all three brands of vaccine. With numerous clinics held during November, they administered 809 COVID vaccinations during the month (up from 308 individuals vaccinated during October). They vaccinated 100 students this month in Westfield, and those children received their second dose this week, making them one of the first groups of 5-11 year olds to be fully vaccinated in the state.

Vaccine clinics, walk-in appointments, and home visits will continue to be offered throughout the winter. Any resident interested in receiving the vaccine can call 908-789-4070. All residents 18 and older who are six months past their last dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or two months past their dose of J&J, are highly encouraged to get a booster dose, as recommended by the CDC. The department is also offering free flu vaccinations for any adult 18 or older.

POLICE UPDATE

Police activity this week included several cases of fraud/identity theft, as well as car burglaries and attempted car burglaries on Trails End Court (resulting in the arrest of two individuals), Florence Avenue, and Clarence Street.

You can read more details in 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.

ROAD PAVING

With the weather continuing to cooperate, we were able to get another full week of paving complete! As a result, Dudley Avenue, North Avenue (between Edgewood and Dudley), and Willow Grove Road are now complete. Thanks for your patience with the road closures and detours necessary to finish this work.

Yesterday, the paving contractor for Elizabethtown Gas began milling and paving work on Drake Place and Roosevelt Street. Work will continue in that area over the next few business days, specifically on the following streets:

Hort Street
Cumberland Street
Palsted Avenue
Downer Street

Leaf collection was also in progress this week in these areas. To ensure that the paving work remained on schedule, Public Works temporarily moved some leaf piles from the street onto the abutting properties, and will return to collect them following the completion of paving next week.

Next week, weather permitting, we anticipate milling and paving to be conducted by Elizabethtown Gas on Columbus Avenue, Grandview Avenue, Irving Avenue, Ripley Avenue, and Elizabeth Avenue.

As a reminder, you can receive information about all pre-planned (non-emergency) road work through text and email by subscribing to our Road & Utility Town Updates. A number of other topics are also available to keep you informed.

For a full list of anticipated road improvements through 2024, visit our website.

DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY EVENTS

Don’t miss the Fourth Annual Westfield Gingerbread Display and Competition! Registration is now open, and we are looking forward to seeing this year's creative entries. This year’s categories are Kids Only Effort (ages 12 and younger), Westfield Spirit, and Traditional. For full details and registration, visit our website.

2021 marks the 21st year of the Creche display at the North Avenue train station, beginning with a blessing ceremony on Saturday morning at 8:00AM by Fr. Juan Gabriel from The Parish Community of Saint Helen. Thank you to the Msgr. Henry J Watterson Knights of Columbus Council 1711 for their annual support of a longstanding holiday tradition. The Creche is expected to be on display through January 8.

Also this weekend, the Celebration Singers will perform on Saturday in front of the North Avenue Christmas tree from 4:00 - 6:00 PM, and the Cool Carving Ice Sculptures will be on display this Sunday from 12:00 - 3:00 PM at the North and South Avenue train stations.

While you’re out and about in Downtown Westfield, don’t forget about the free gift wrapping available at the Holiday Welcome Center in the North Avenue train station. For full details on all of the DWC’s holiday events, visit their website.

TEMPORARY USE OF LORD & TAYLOR

If you missed this great news, you can expect to see some activity at the Lord & Taylor property in the coming weeks and months. You may recall the flooding devastation incurred by the school located on Lamberts Mill Road that serves special needs students throughout Union County. I’m happy to report that two of those schools, Lamberts Mill Academy and Hillside Academy South, will be temporarily relocating to the Lord & Taylor site until the end of the school year (June 2022), thanks to the support of Streetworks Development working in partnership with Union County.

Thanks to Streetworks and UCESC Superintendent Mike Kowalski for jumping through hoops to make this happen, and for providing an opportunity for our neediest students to get back into the classroom. This is wonderful news heading into the holiday season, and a true example of what a public/private partnership looks like! You can watch this week’s News 12 coverage of this story here.

CENTER FOR CREATIVITY AT THE RIALTO

Tonight is opening night for the Westfield Art Association Members' Winter Art Show at the Center for Creativity at the Rialto. Please come out and show your support as the Rialto continues its evolution by showcasing the work of local artists. The show runs through January 7 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. For full details, visit centerforcreativity.art.