A Message from Mayor Mahr

Dear Fanwoodians,

It seems over the course of the past week that our country has taken a step back in battling COVID-19, as states such as Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Arizona post record highs – some as high as we saw here in New Jersey just a few weeks ago.

It hurts all of us to see different parts of the country being hit again – or for the first time – just as we were working towards re-opening our state. This week, Governor Murphy announced that, while several recreational activities and businesses may open again, indoor dining has been delayed indefinitely due to the rise in cases in nearly every other state but our own. The Governor also announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers coming to New Jersey from any one of the states seeing case surges.

It is my hope that we here in New Jersey continue to see our numbers decline so that other states may find a success story to implement themselves.

I would also like to report that the Westfield Regional Health Department has issued new stats for Fanwood: we have 101 positive cases of COVID-19, up by nine for the month of June. 2 cases had a known exposure, 3 cases are associated with long-term care, and 4 were asymptomatic and were tested as part of medical clearance.

As we do our best to turn attention to the holiday weekend and observance of our nation’s founding, I ask everyone celebrating this weekend to remember those who are putting their health and lives at risk to assure the rest of us remain safe; doctors, nurses, first responders, retail and food store workers, delivery drivers and truckers, and so many more. Thank you for everything you have done for us over the last five months.

Here in town, our summer park program has been reimagined to adhere to all state and CDC guidelines. There will be fewer campers as well as totally revamped programs to keep our children safe and healthy while still providing them a summer of fun.

And as ever, whether during the pandemic or another time of need, we are here to help. If you need assistance with food insecurity, illness, or unemployment issues, please reach out at mayor@fanwoodnj.org.

I wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July!

– Mayor Colleen Mahr

This Tuesday, July 7, is NJ’s Vote-by-Mail-Only Primary Election

Due to the pandemic, the upcoming primary election is vote-by-mail. For a detailed outline of exceptions to this rule, due dates, polling places, and ballot drop boxes please click here.

Vote-by-Mail ballots must be postmarked by July 7th and mailed out, or at the ballot drop-off box at the Frasier Building, 300 North Avenue East, Westfield, NJ (across from Westfield Diner) by 8 pm on Election Day.

Tax Bill Information

Property Owners are reminded that recent bills received are an estimate because the State of New Jersey has not yet determined its budget. The current tax bill reflects the 2019 property revaluation.

A helpful hint for calculating property taxes…

Property Owners can look up tax information for their property on our website at https://wipp.edmundsassoc.com/Wipp/?wippid=2005. After entering your address, you will see the tax page for your property where you can find the 2020 “Total Assessed Value” of your property as well as a “View Tax Rate” tab. Clicking that tab it will show the 2020 tax rate (currently estimated at 2.756 per $100 of Valuation). Multiplying your 2020 Total Assessed Value by the estimated tax rate will provide your estimated 2020 taxes. The page also contains tax amounts for previous years for comparison.  Please DO NOT multiply the 3rd quarter amount by 4, that will NOT be reflective of the 2020 total.

Recycling Center Update

The Fanwood Recycling Center will be open on July 11th (due to the July 4th Holiday) 8am to 11am for self-service drop off of specialty recycling. In order to comply with social distancing guidelines, residents will be asked to unload materials from their vehicles by themselves. If you are unable to unload the materials from your vehicle, it is recommended to bring someone with you who can help.

NJ Announces Unemployment Benefit Extension

In its continued response to COVID-19, the State of New Jersey has announced this week that state-wide unemployment benefits will be extended up to an additional 20 weeks.

“The state extension kicks in after claimants exhaust up to 26 weeks of state unemployment plus 13 weeks of federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC),” the Labor Department said. “The additional 20 weeks of benefits brings to 59 the maximum number of weeks an eligible claimant may receive in benefits at this time.”

Unemployed workers are enrolled in extended benefits automatically as their federal extension ends, according to the Department of Labor, and do not need to contact an agent or reapply to receive the benefits.

Click here for more information.

Recreation Registration Now Open

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Fanwood Recreation’s Summer Park Program at La Grande Park begins Monday, July 6 and continues every weekday through August 21. The Summer Park Program is a fun, safe outdoor day camp-like program run by an experienced counselor staff that includes certified teachers. To ensure the safety of all campers, the Program will follow safety guidelines that are in accordance with guidelines issued by the New Jersey Department of Health and the CDC. To find out more information and to register (space is limited!), please go to fanwoodrecreation.org.

A Fond Farewell to Susan Staub

A Tribute After 25 Years of Service to Fanwood Children

Over the last few months of Covid-19 lockdown, we’ve learned that some workers are nice to have but others, well, we can’t really function without them — produce pickers, nurses, teachers.
We would like to add children’s librarians to that list. Who else, after all, acts as the local guide into our culture, into our world of ideas and adventures, information and resources, for our kids? Fanwood has been extremely fortunate these past 25 years to have Susan Staub in that role. Susan will be retiring effective this week, and we are most sorry to see her go.
Susan was hired by the Fanwood Memorial Library in 1995. It was her first library job but not her first working with children. For several years she’d taught Sunday school and liked engaging with kids so much she went to Rutgers to earn a degree in library science. Within four years of first stepping into her role at our library, the collection went digital. Miniature workstations were installed near her desk for her young patrons, and a whole different kind of world opened up for researching and resources. “Technology was a big change,” she said. “Kids learn so differently now.”But hardware and software never distracted Susan from her mission to lead children to the literature written expressly for them.

In addition to using books as resources, she partnered with parents and other professionals to produce annual dramas starring her young patrons. Every summer she planned, coordinated and found funds for a kids’ club where they learned to Catch the Reading Bug or Imagine Your Story or Build a Better World or Fizz, Boom, Read! She arranged for animals to arrive in suitcases, football players to appear in costume, star skaters to read a story and famed authors who live locally to read from their work. Thousands of kids enrolled in her summer programs. And she steered her department through several floods and renovations, always with a cheerful spirit.

This very short list of her many responsibilities doesn’t even touch on her most important gift to our community: her unique ability to connect with young people and their families. Her generosity in helping them solve access problems, whether it was to the non-ADA-compliant basement area where she worked or to that one book, recording, magazine, website or guinea pig a specific child needed right then, on that day.

And now she’s retiring, in a summer that will see limited kids’ clubs and craft hours, and no author events. But if we know this children’s librarian, she’ll come up with a solution that will benefit the kids of Fanwood once again.

Thank you, Susan Staub, for two and a half decades of devoted service to our young people. Happy Retirement!

Share In Susan’s Retirement Celebration!

Do you have a special memory of Susan? Is there a picture you would like her to have? Would you like to express thanks and best wishes to her as she starts a new chapter in her life? The Library Board and staff will be collecting these mementos, cards, letters, and pictures to present to Susan. You may:
  • Email your wishes to library director Dan Weiss at dweiss@fanwoodlibrary.org
  • Mail your cards and other wishes to the Fanwood Memorial Library, 5 Forest Road, Fanwood, NJ 07023.  ATTENTION: SUSAN STAUB’S RETIREMENT
  • Place them in the book drop at the front door of the library
We would like to receive these by July 17th.

You are invited to a reception in her honor

The Library Board, Staff, and Friends will hold a reception in Susan’s honor on July 30th (rain date July 31st) outside from 2-4 pm.  We will be practicing social distancing and ask that you wear a mask if you would like to attend.

More From Fanwood Memorial Library

We are so glad to be back in the business of lending books!

OVERDUE NOTICES & REMINDERS

We know that many of you are receiving overdue or reminder notices for items that you recently returned to our book drop. This is happening because all returned items are being isolated for a minimum of 72 hours before being checked back in. While the books are in “quarantine,” the circulation system may automatically send out reminders.

Please do not be concerned about these messages, and be assured that we are not charging overdue fines on any items at this time.

HOLDS
Holds may be placed on books, books-on-tape, and DVDs. Each cardholder can place up to five holds at one time. You can place a hold through our online catalog or by calling the library to speak to a staff member. Please don’t leave a message requesting a hold.

PICKUPS

You will be notified by email or phone when your holds are pulled from our shelves. At this point, your holds are still not quite ready for pickup. After you are notified, you must call the library to speak with a staff member and reserve a pickup time. At your reserved time, we will check the book(s) out to you and leave the book(s) in our lobby for you to pick up. We will keep your holds available to you for 4 days. For now, you must pick up Fanwood items at the Fanwood Library and Scotch Plains items at the Scotch Plains location.

RETURNS

You can help by returning only Fanwood Library items to the Fanwood location. Our book drop is always open for returns. Please return Scotch Plains items to the Scotch Plains location.

We appreciate your patience as we work out the kinks in our gradual reopening. We are working to minimize confusion and keep our library safe and available to you. Stay safe!

NEW Fanwood Library Hours

The building is still closed to the public, but staff are available by phone during the following hours:

  • Monday: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • Tuesday: 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm
  • Wednesday: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • Thursday: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • Friday: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • Saturday: CLOSED
  • Sunday: CLOSED
We are closed July 3rd.