Full Notification

Here is the latest Take Five briefing from the February 21, 2023 meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council.

1) New Councilperson Appointment: Jason Postelnik was sworn in as Highland Park’s newest member of the Borough Council. Jason is filling the seat vacated by Elsie Foster upon her selection as Mayor last month. He has resided in Highland Park for 15 years and lives with his wife, Rebecca Estelle, and his two daughters, Naomi and Nina. Jason has served on the Highland Park Housing Authority since July 2020. Professionally, Jason works as a Legal Specialist in the Office of Policy and Standards Development at the New Jersey Department of Human Services. Jason will be taking on the Recreation & Arts portfolio for Borough Council.

2) Revaluation Update: Tom Mancuso, the Borough’s Tax Assessor, provided a brief update on the town wide property revaluation. He reported that he will be submitting the final numbers to the Middlesex County Tax Board on February 24^th, but advised residents that there is still time to review their property values with Professional Property Appraiser (PPA) by calling 1-800-410-5815. He also invited property owners to contact him directly at [email protected] and he will happily answer any questions.

3) Park Partners Grant Deadline, March 6: The deadline to submit an application for a Park Partners grant is Monday, March 6^th. The program awards grant funds of up to $2,000 to residents for five community-based projects that fit into one or more of the following categories: Environment, Arts, Culture & Diversity, Safety, Universal Access, or Health & Wellness, and Highland Park High School class/club project. Residents will cast their votes for their favorite projects on Sunday, March 26^th between 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. in the Highland Park Community Center. Applications can be found on the Borough’s website and can be submitted in hardcopy to Harry Glazer, Public Information Officer, at Borough Hall or by emailing them to [email protected].

4) Community Meeting on Replacing Stop & Shop, February 28: The Mayor & Council will host a community meeting on Tuesday, February 28^th at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center to discuss the Borough’s efforts to support replacement of the supermarket at 424 Raritan Avenue. There will be a presentation on what’s been done to date, the key elements of the redevelopment plan that is being drafted for the site, and transportation and other initiatives to ensure food access when the store closes.

5) Retail Cannabis: Borough Council voted to authorize resolutions of local support for five cannabis retail businesses to operate in Highland Park: BLKBRN, LLC (176 Woodbridge Avenue), Anja Life, LLC (225 Woodbridge Avenue), Herbalicity, LLC (246 Raritan Avenue), Floro Highland Park, LLC (85 Raritan Avenue), and Main Street Dispensary, LLC (311 Raritan Avenue). These five companies will need to apply and secure a license from the State of New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory prior to moving forward with operations in town.

If you’re interested in watching the February 21^st 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, March 14^th at 7:00 p.m.