MAYOR'S UPDATE:
JANUARY 7

The first week of 2022 has certainly been a busy one in Town Hall! First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who took the time to attend Tuesday night’s Swearing In Ceremony, both in-person and virtually, as well as our Annual Organization Meeting that followed. I am deeply grateful for the privilege of serving a second term, and remain very enthusiastic about Westfield’s future! The last few weeks of 2021 were an important time for me to reflect on what we achieved over the past year and the key opportunities that lie ahead for us. You can read my full 2021 Year in Review, as well as my Inaugural Address and 2022 State of the Town Address.

As you can see in this week’s COVID information, case numbers and hospitalizations continue to climb due to the Omicron variant. And while these numbers are sobering and should indeed be taken very seriously, their context is also important. We are not in the same place as 2020 or last year. Health officials are reporting that many of those who are hospitalized with Omicron recover more quickly, and are less likely to need intensive care or a ventilator. This is encouraging news as experts report we are likely to reach the peak of this variant in the coming weeks. In the interim, the impact of staff shortages in hospitals, schools, and throughout the workforce continues to present ongoing challenges that we can all help mitigate.

Here in Town Hall, we currently have 18 employees out of the office across multiple departments due to testing positive or quarantining from direct exposure, down from 23 last week. We are thankful that all of these positive cases among our staff are mild in nature. 

I know the ongoing COVID data can be numbing as we see this current surge continue to climb. However, it bears repeating that we have the tools at our disposal to help us minimize restrictions to keeping our routines and normalcy intact – namely, vaccinations, boosters, and masking in indoor public places. I am proud to live in a highly vaccinated community that has demonstrated its commitment to public health and to one another’s well being. Let’s continue to show up for each other and take the basic steps needed to keep our schools and businesses safe.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

WINTER WEATHER

Thanks to everyone for your cooperation in removing your cars from the roads to enable plowing operations this morning. Public Works did a fantastic job of clearing the streets. For those parked in Lots 1 and 3 due to the storm, please ensure your cars are moved by 6:00AM on Saturday to avoid being ticketed. 

As a reminder, all sidewalks must be cleared by property owners within 24 hours after the snow has stopped falling. This is especially important with temperatures dropping tonight, which will cause any residual snow to freeze. As always, throwing/tossing/blowing snow back into a plowed street is not permitted, as it contributes to icing on the roads.

As we communicated yesterday, Zone 5 recycling will be picked up tomorrow, January 8.

COVID-19

According to the New Jersey Department of Health, the entire state is now showing very high levels of COVID activity, and the CDC reports that 85% of new COVID-19 cases are identified as the Omicron variant. 

But there is good news as well. Earlier this week, the CDC authorized booster shots for ages 12-15 and a third dose of vaccine to individuals ages 5-11 who are immunocompromised. In addition, the recommended interval between second doses (of Moderna and Pfizer) and the booster has been shortened from six months to five months. 

For the month of December, there were 1,107 cases identified in Westfield (up from 194 in November), 425 of which were in those age 19 and younger. In the first week of January, there were 213 cases reported to date, 85 of which have been in individuals 19 and younger.

During December, there were nine COVID hospitalizations reported among Westfield residents and, sadly, one death – a 79 year-old unvaccinated individual.

Statewide, vaccination rates have decreased by 10% from last week’s rate, with an average of 33.7K doses administered per day. More than 6.4 million New Jersey residents are fully vaccinated (75% of the eligible population), and 2.3 million (46% of the eligible population) have received third doses or boosters. In a briefing this week, Governor Murphy indicated that the unvaccinated are accounting for roughly 70% of those being hospitalized in New Jersey.

In Union County, just over 70% of the population is fully vaccinated. In Westfield, 99% of adults and 78% of our entire population is fully vaccinated. In addition, 53% of children ages 5-11 in Westfield have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 59% of eligible residents have received a booster dose. Additional breakdowns by location and age group can be found on the NJ COVID-19 Dashboard. 

The Health Department’s immunization outreach continues with all three brands of vaccine, with numerous clinics held during December. In total, they administered 2,135 COVID vaccinations during the month (up from 809 individuals vaccinated during November). They are offering vaccinations in home and in the office for those 12 and above, and any resident  interested in receiving the vaccine can call 908-789-4070. This afternoon, they held a clinic in Town Hall for those age 12 and above, and will continue to offer clinics, walk-in appointments, and home visits throughout the winter – in addition to free flu vaccinations for any adult 18 or older. All residents over the age of 12 who are five 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.

POLICE UPDATE

Yesterday, I had the privilege of swearing in four new police recruits who were recently hired and will now undergo Police Academy training. This brings our department staffing level to 62, the highest in Town history. Please join me in welcoming our new officers: Brandon Beal, Brendon Canavan, Christopher Marlow, and Sara Hayes (the seventh female police officer in the history of the department). We are proud to have them representing us and we wish them success and ongoing safety in their new roles.

Due to absences in the department at similar levels to last week, we must extend our crossing guard post reductions for an additional week in order to maintain sufficient staffing for ongoing public safety issues and unanticipated emergencies. As we did last week, we will focus our available resources on the posts with the highest pedestrian volume, which are those that are immediately adjacent to the schools. The same posts will remain unstaffed during the week of January 10, which are listed on our website, and we will continue to reassess each week based on available personnel.

In terms of police activity this week, the department responded to cases of fraud/identity theft, DWI, car burglaries, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and theft of property. 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 their Facebook (@WestfieldNJPD) and Instagram (@westfieldnjpd) pages. 

ELIZABETHTOWN GAS MAIN REPLACEMENT WORK

Apart from this morning’s snow, the winter weather has been generally favorable for utility work, and we were pleased to learn from Elizabethtown Gas that they've begun pipeline replacement work this week in the vicinity of South Chestnut Street and Lenox Avenue. This work includes the following streets:

• Archbold Place
• Arlington Avenue
• East Broad Street (South Euclid to Springfield)
• Lenox Avenue
• South Chestnut Street
• South Euclid Avenue 
• St Marks Avenue
• St Paul Street
• Stanley Avenue
• Tremont Avenue 

Notices were delivered to all affected residences, and full details about the project can be found on the Elizabethtown Gas website. Questions about this work can be addressed by the project information hotline (866-767-5558) or via email (etgprojects@sjindustries.com).
Following the completion of the utility work, Elizabethtown Gas will resurface impacted roadways with milling and paving later this year.

CONSERVATION CENTER HOURS

The Conservation Center re-opens tomorrow, and each Saturday in January, from 9:00 - 3:00 for the use of free recycling programs, fee-based mattress and bulk waste programs, and the disposal of Christmas trees (free, no permit required).

MEETINGS OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

As I mentioned above, there are simple measures we can take to help mitigate community spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Like many other municipalities, we are going to temporarily pivot to a Zoom format for the upcoming meetings of the Town Council, Boards, and Commissions until it’s more prudent to resume indoor gatherings from a public health perspective. All of the details for joining each meeting can be found on the Meeting Calendar on the home page of our website.