Take Five Briefing - May 17, 2022
Here is the latest Take Five briefing from the May 17, 2022 meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council.
Proclamation Celebrating the Life of Dwayne Haskins: The Mayor issued a proclamation celebrating the life of Dwayne Haskins, whose family had a long and deep history in Highland Park dating back to the 1940’s. Dwayne lived in Highland Park until 9th grade when he moved to Potomac, MD. Dwayne went on to receive national acclaim as a quarterback for the Ohio State University football team and played professionally for the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately his life was tragically cut short in April 2022 in an auto accident.
Upcoming Downtown Events: Main Street Highland Park has a number of family-friendly events coming up on Memorial Day Weekend. Their annual Downtown Planting Days are on Thursday & Friday, May 26th & 27th followed by the Berry Pie Contest at the Friday Farmer’s Market on Friday, May 27th. Saturday, May 28th is both the first outdoor movie of the season at the Highland Park Outdoor Movie Theater and the first Night Owl Market of 2022.
Recreation Complex Construction: Construction at the Recreation Complex at Highland Park High School will begin on Monday, May 23rd. Renovations, which are funded by a generous allocation of $750,000 from the New Jersey State FY 2022 budget and matched by funds from the Borough and the Board of Education, include replacement of the track, turf, and field lighting. This construction will benefit our entire community as so many of our residents make use of the field and track. Construction is expected to be completed in early September and public access to the complex will be restricted while work is ongoing.
Ordinance Introductions – Roadway Improvements and Affordable Housing: A bond ordinance providing for various roadway improvements was introduced and will provide funding for the Borough’s upcoming road projects. A second ordinance was introduced which would establish affordable housing control periods of at least 30 years for both ownership and rental units and would amend the Borough’s Land Use Code to establish a mandatory set-aside of 20% affordable units if a developer wishes to construct more new residential units than otherwise permitted. A public hearing on each ordinance will be held prior to a vote on June 14th at 7:00 p.m.
Support for Reparations Task Force: Council passed a resolution endorsing the enactment of Assembly Bill/A938/S386 which would establish the “New Jersey Reparations Task Force Act.” The task force would conduct research and develop reparatory proposals and recommendations to address the generational harms caused by New Jersey’s role in America’s institution of slavery.
If you’re interested in watching the May 17th Council meeting, go to HPTV’S Youtube channel where the meeting will be posted in its entirety. The next meeting of Council is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14th.
Address/Location
Highland Park Borough
Highland Park Municipal Building
Highland Park, NJ 08904
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 732-572-3400