Here is the latest Take Five briefing from the May 20, 2025, meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council.
1) Memorial Day Parade: Council Members George and Vargas encouraged residents to help remember and honor those who served our country by lining Raritan Avenue on Monday, May 26 for the Annual Memorial Day Parade. The parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. in New Brunswick, cross the bridge into Highland Park at approximately 11:30 a.m., and proceed up Raritan Avenue to the Doughboy Monument where a ceremony will take place. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony may be held at the Highland Park Community Center, located at 220 South 6th Avenue.
2) Volunteers Needed for Downtown Planting Days: Council Member Hale announced that the Spring Downtown Planting Days are here! Every May, Main Street Highland Park organizes and sponsors planting days along Raritan and Woodbridge Avenues and volunteers come out to fill over 150 downtown planters with beautiful plants and flowers. This year, the planting days are Thursday, May 22, from 3-7pm, and Friday, May 23, from 11am-5pm, RAIN OR SHINE. To participate, stop by the Main Street Highland Park offices (212 Raritan Ave) and look for staff outside the building on either day, during the posted times, to pick up your plants and your planter assignment.
3) Solicitation for Proposals to Lease 115 Raritan Ave: Last year, the Borough acquired the garage at 115 Raritan Avenue as part of the redevelopment of the area referred to as Tract A in the Borough’s Downtown Redevelopment Plan for Tracts A-D. Borough Council passed a resolution authorizing a bid to solicit proposals from entities interested in temporarily leasing the garage while the site awaits redevelopment.
4) Green Communities Grant: The Borough, working closely with the Shade Tree Advisory Committee, successfully applied for and was awarded a Green Communities grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The grant will fund an update to the Borough’s tree inventory and Community Forestry Management Plan, bringing both into alignment with the latest state requirements. This Inventory and Plan, once completed, will inform Highland Park’s urban forestry efforts, including the annual tree planting.
5) Repainting the Black Lives Matter Mural: The Borough Council has passed a resolution supporting the repainting of the Black Lives Matter street mural on South 5th Avenue between Borough Hall and the Police and Fire Departments. Originally installed in June 2020 by local artists and volunteers in response to national protests following the killing of George Floyd, the mural has become a source of pride and significance in the community. After four years of weathering and traffic wear, the mural will be refreshed, reaffirming the Borough’s commitment to racial justice and the rights and intrinsic humanity of our African American community members.
If you’re interested in watching the May 20th 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 3rd at 7 p.m.
