DELUCA UPDATE - PSE&G SEEN, ELECTIONS ON

PATCH Reports:

“There is a higher presence of PSE&G crews in town today,” said Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca on Friday morning. Though he declined to be more specific, he said crews were working to begin to restore power in town. 
Power had been restored to some street in town, including Concord Avenue, Florida Street, Marion Place, the Kensington Terrace area, and the corner of Parker and Prospect. 
"The priority now is getting PSE&G to clear downed wires on fallen trees in places like Woodhill Drive and Cedar Lane," said DeLuca.
Other Sandy updates:  

• The gas situation remains worrisome. The Delta station at the corner of Valley Road and Oakland Road is still closed as of Friday morning, and the owner said he is having trouble getting gas from his distributor in Elizabeth, which is out of power. “They are telling me by Monday,” he said. 

Mayor DeLuca said the township had secured gas to power the DPW vehicles to continue clean up efforts but, “We have no information about fuel for the public,” he said. 

• The township is talking to NJ Transit about the possibility of running express bus service from Maplewood to New York City. 

• The election will go on. A polling machine was moved into Maplewood Town Hall this morning. “Four out of six polling places have power,” said DeLuca; those that do not are Prospect Presbyterian Church and Clinton School. Nine out of 21 election districts are currently affected by power outages.

Read the rest HERE.

SANDY UPDATE

Maplewood Village has become the place to ride out the post-storm power problems.

Big kudos to Crane's/HighlandPlace, Words and Anthony Garuba  and many others offering charging up and a place to warm up. Also, the main library and Morrow Church, a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. spot for food, power and even kids games and movies.

Sadly, NJ. Transit is still out for our line, as well as the jitney. PSE&G keeps offering little in the way of promises for power to come back.

'WORDS' STORM OFFERINGS MAKES LOS ANGELES TIMES

The biggest paper in the west notices our favorite book shop:

New Jersey's [words] bookstore powered up and open

[words] bookstore in Maplewood, N.J., is a haven for its neighbors without power. (Jonah Zimiles / October 31, 2012)

By Carolyn Kellogg

November 1, 2012, 10:06 a.m.

Maplewood, N.J., was one of the communities hit by Hurricane Sandy. Located about six miles west of Newark, Maplewood saw massive trees fall and lost much of its electricity. Downed power lines forced the community to cancel its Halloween parade.

However, parts of its downtown did not lose power; that's where [words] bookstore is located. Co-owner Jonah Zimiles emailed to let us know the store is powered up and open. He wrote that the lights are on, neighbors are stopping by to charge up their phones, and readers are browsing. Some may even leave with a book.

Because reading a book -- the old-fashioned paper kind -- is one thing you can do when the power is out.

SCHOOL SCHEDULE CHANGED NEXT WEEK, SAT'S ARE ON

This sent today from the school district:

This message is an update on SOMSD's planning in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

 

Currently, power outages and hazardous conditions prevent schools from opening.  Several schools are without power; downed power lines pose a danger to children getting to school; and traffic patterns are compromised by fallen trees and nonfunctioning lights.  

 

SOMSD buildings sustained only minor damage during the storm, and will be ready to open when power is restored and conditions ensure safe passage.

 

If schools are safe to open next week, then SOMSD will have five full days of school next week from November 5 - 9.  

• Monday.  Elementary parent-teacher conferences scheduled for Monday afternoon, November 5, will be rescheduled at a later date, and all schools will have a full day session.  Breakfast will not be served 
• Tuesday.  All schools will have a full day session on Tuesday, November 6, with the previously scheduled professional development for staff rescheduled at a later date.
• Wednesday.  All schools will have a full day session on Wednesday, November 7, as previously scheduled.
• Thursday and Friday.  All schools will have full day sessions on Thursday, November 8, and Friday, November 9, as the previously scheduled annual teacher convention has been canceled by the NJEA.

Please note that the SAT test administration scheduled at Columbia High School for Saturday, November 3, will take place as scheduled.  Please allow extra time for travel to the testing site.

COUNTY CLERK EXTENDED HOURS TO VOTE BY MAIL

From the Essex County clerk website:

ATTENTION: Important Election Notice

Chris Durkin

Due to the conditions caused by Hurricane Sandy, the Clerk's Office will operate extended hours, so that voters may collect a vote-by-mail ballot and submit it without going to the polls.

The Clerk's Office is located in Room 247 of the Essex County Hall of Records, 465 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Newark. We will be open:

Thurs. Nov. 1: 8am - 5:30pm
Fri. Nov. 2: 8am - 5:30pm
Sat. Nov. 3: 9am - 4pm
Sun. Nov. 3: 10am - 2pm
Mon. Nov. 4: 8am - 3pm (latest allowed by NJ law)

If you plan to visit the polls on Election Day, be sure to check this site to make sure that your usual polling place is operational. Some polling places may need to be moved due to damage or loss of power. 

Meanwhile, PATCH reports the clerk promises all will get to vote Tuesday:

Hurricane Sandy can't stop the election.
"People are wondering if the election is still on. It absolutely is," said Christopher J. Durkin, the Essex County Clerk, who said he has been meeting with municipal clerks to find ways to make sure people can vote on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
"It's going to be county by county," he said. "Each county has its own unique obstacles and circumstances."
With a close national election and dozens of municipal races, local and county election workers are challenged to open polling places a week after the devastating storm left entire municipalities without power.
"This is unprecedented," said Durkin, who added that each town will look for the best solutions for its voters. For example, he said, Glen Ridge and Fairfield's polling places have power, while many in other cities do not. Durkin said municipal clerks may not know until the day before elections which sites will be open.
In some cases, he said polling places may be merged so voters do not have to travel too far to cast their ballots. In all cases, he said additional provisional ballots will be given out in each voting district. If the ballots are the same in a particular polling place - remaining provisional ballots can be shared with another polling location.
"Each town clerk will have an abundance," he said.
Durkin said there are 306 polling places in Essex County, but it may be right up to the wire to know which ones will be open on election day. He said, "We are going to be working straight through Monday."

 

MAYOR FACES FRUSTRATED RESIDENTS

From Patch:


On day three of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, tempers are fraying as Maplewood residents realize that it might be a while before life returns to anything resembling normalcy.

At Maplewood Town Hall on Thursday midday, Mayor Vic DeLuca faced questions from frustrated residents who were there charging electronic devices and warming up. One, a disabled man from Brookwood Drive, asked why the police weren't doing more to provide updates.
"The police are very busy," said DeLuca. He said officers had been dispatched earlier today to guard local gas stations to keep order and prevent theft.

"We need a police presence," said one woman who said she and her son had asthma. "We have a police presence," DeLuca said.

The township has been making regular daily robocalls on the township's Code Red system to update residents throughout the crisis.

"We were hit very hard here," said DeLuca.

More HERE

GARBAGE PICK-UP TODAY AND FRIDAY, BUT...

Waste Management picking up garbage today and Friday, but you must put it out at the curb, according to Mayor De Luca

PSE&G POWER CLOSER TO ON?

News reports indicate that the number of PSE&G customers without power has dropped from 1.7 million right after the storm to some 700,000, but not us yet.