For Immediate Release                                                                                                February 10, 2012

New Public Notification System Launched 

Today, Springfield residents and businesses will receive a telephone call from Mayor Ziad Andrew Shehady announcing the launch of a new public notification system called Springfield Public Community-Stat.

We are proud to offer this new service to the public.  A public notification system, or Reverse 911 as they are sometimes known, gives Township officials a chance to reach out to the public in case of an emergency. This system, combined with our other emergency alert methods, is designed to get emergency and public messages to you, quickly and effectively.

Mayor Shehady said, “This automated calling system will allow the Township to improve our communication with the public.  Now we can contact residents and businesses more effectively enabling us to broadcast emergency and public safety messages and other important community information, such as road closures, severe weather alerts, construction projects and more.”

This does not preclude you from calling 911 if you need emergency information; it simply provides an opportunity for us to disseminate critical information to you if and when the need arises.

Residents and business can change how they receive these notifications by adding or removing telephone numbers simply by visiting our Township website at www.springfield-nj.us.  The reason for this form is to gather as many means of contact as you may have so that in the event of an emergency that affects Springfield, we can notify you in multiple ways.

This information will remain in the custody of the Township of Springfield at all times and will only be used for official purposes only.

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New Public Notification System Launched

 For Immediate Release                                                                                                February 7, 2012

Stormwater Management Conference Invitation
from Springfield Mayor Ziad Andrew Shehady

You are invited to the Cranford Community Center at 200 Walnut Avenue, Cranford on February 15 at 7:30 p.m. to a Stormwater Management Conference to discuss ways each of the Rahway River communities can revise their ordinances and best practices to improve stormwater management.  Cranford Mayor David Robinson, Millburn Mayor Sandra Haimoff and Springfield Mayor Ziad Andrew Shehady will host the meeting.

Irene brought significant damages to local communities and additional focus on stormwater quantity is needed.  The objective of the meeting is to gather environmental organizations, planning and zoning board members, engineers and elected officials to develop some consensus on changes to current practices.

For additional information, e-mail mayor@shehady.us or call 973-797-9423.

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Stormwater Management Conference Invitation

Today, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that he will be holding a Town Hall meeting at the Westfield Armory on Wednesday, February 8th at 10:30 a.m. The invitation is below:

You are invited to attend a town hall meeting with Governor Chris Christie in Westfield on, February  8^th, 2012. In order to ensure adequate seating for our attendees, please  RSVP by clicking here.

We encourage you to include family, friends and neighbors in these open public forums with the Governor.

Town Hall Meeting with Governor Chris Christie

DATE:
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

WHAT:
Town Hall Meeting

WHEN:
10:30 AM
Doors Open at 9:45 AM

WHERE:
Westfield National Guard Armory
500 Rahway Avenue
Westfield, New Jersey 07090

Seating is on a first come, first serve basis and open to the public. Please RSVP by clicking here to allow us to do our best to accommodate demand for seating (note that space is limited, and many town hall events reach capacity quickly, so we encourage you to arrive early to ensure your seating).
We look forward to seeing you at this event!

At our second meeting of January, we introduced landmark legislation commonly known as “Pay to Play” to curb the perception of improper influence in public contracting and local elections that has taken a toll on Springfield in the past. This month, we will vote on the final hearing of this ordinance and it is my hope that it passes so that we can restore public confidence in Springfield.

Deputy Mayor Jerry Fernandez has been extremely involved and helpful in the progress of the downtown Springfield Business Improvement District now named the “Springfield Community Partnership” that we started in 2010. This organization of property owners, businesses owners, residents and Township officials is determined to revitalizing the downtown once and for all. Instead of lifeless plans sitting on a shelf, this group is dedicating time and money to real change. At our January 24th meeting, the Township Committee voted to introduce the Springfield Community Partnership 2012 Budget in the amount of $400,961.90. This is money coming directly from commercial properties (not residential taxes) to improve downtown Springfield. The final public hearing and vote to adopt the budget will take place at our February 28th meeting.

I would also like to inform you that I met with our Recreation Director and Administrator to discuss areas for improvement within the Recreation Department and to develop a plan of action to move the Department forward. Our Recreation Director now has office hours and will publish regular updates to inform the public of upcoming dates, events and programming. Additionally, there will be a minor restructuring in the Department that will allow for more specialized attention to be given to Recreation offerings, sports, activities and our Senior Citizens.

By the end of this month, we hope that all Department budgets will have been submitted, reviewed and scrutinized in order to prepare our municipal budget for an early introduction this year. One monumental initiative will be considered this month at our February 14th and 28th Township Committee meetings – the project to build an athletic turf field for our community.

I announced a proclamation in January in recognition of National Blood Donor Month. This month, I will announce a proclamation to raise awareness for American Heart Month.

I am holding open office hours on Saturday, February 11th at 1 p.m. and Tuesday, February 28th at 9 a.m. Please e-mail me at mayor@shehady.us or call 973-797-ZIAD (9423) to schedule an appointment. Additionally, contact me if you would like to host coffee/tea for neighbors and have me over to speak on any issue(s) of concern to the group.

Message from the Mayor - February 2012

Assemblyman Jon Bramnick News – February 2012

Assemblyman Jon Bramnick News – January 2012