Fanwood Police Director Michael Bramhall told the Borough Council at its regular June meeting Monday that police are ramping up measures to both prevent vandalism in Borough parks and catch the perpetrators.

Ongoing vandalism at Forest Road Park, LaGrande Park and the Fanwood Nature Center hit a low point late last week with racist and anti-gay slurs scratched onto a brand new footbridge installed in the Nature Center only an hour earlier.

Anti-gay slur scratched into bridge railing

“These are significant acts of vandalism,” said Director Bramhall. “Research shows that this type of vandalism is typically carried out by young men ages 13 to 17, so we are focusing on the middle schools and high school.” Bramhall said a letter detailing police efforts to curtail such damage and the potential penalties have been circulated at the schools and emailed to parents. “Our officers have responded more than 23-hundred times to our parks and the nature center this year alone.” He added that surveillance cameras are now operational at the Nature Center and Forest Road Park.

Councilwoman Kathy Mitchell decried the vandalism, especially that perpetrated at the Nature Center.

Councilwoman Mitchell

“This has become very personal for me, these bridges in the Nature Center,” she said. “We got some grant money to have these bridges renewed. They were put in last week. One hour later…someone etched some hate words into the railings of the bridges. It became very upsetting, very hurtful.”

Mitchell is Council liaison to the Environmental Commission which monitors and maintains the Nature Center and has championed the project to replace the footbridges.

“Where’s the outrage?” she asked, noting there was more concern from the public on social media about allowing dogs in the parks than there has been for hate messages in the nature center. “I really want to know, where is the outrage on something that I think is much more detrimental to our community?”

CFO Patricia Celardo

In other business, Mayor Mahr noted that this year’s sewer bills were mailed out last week and there have been questions from residents about the increases. The Borough’s CFO, Patricia Celardo, explained that the base rate was raised to $115 along with the additional tiers because the cost of disposing of sewage through the utilities that transport it from Fanwood to the treatment center in Middlesex County went up. Costs of routine sewer maintenance have also increased. In addition, last year’s rates did not increase because the Borough was able to offset them with COVID subsidies. There are no COVID subsidies this year. The sewer rates and other information are posted at fanwoodnj.org/departments/sewer-utility.

The Council issued a proclamation for National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Vita Larkin, president of Union County Mothers Demand Action, spoke of the “epidemic of gun violence in our country caused by easy access to guns for those who mean us harm.” The group supports efforts to uphold Second Amendment Rights in concert with common sense laws to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people. There was also a proclamation celebrating the 85th anniversary of the Fanwood-Scotch Plains Rotary Club. President Al Smith and Past President Maria LaMorte-Wright accepted the proclamation. And Councilwoman Erin McElroy Barker thanked all those who planned and carried out Saturday’s Juneteenth celebration at the Shady Rest Golf Club in Scotch Plains.

Video of the council meeting