Here is the latest Take Five briefing from the December 2, 2025, meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council.
1) Police Department Promotions and New Hire: The Mayor and Borough Council, along with members of the HPPD and their friends and family, celebrated the promotions of two long-serving officers: Lt. Jason Culver and Sgt. Shawn Garrity; as well as the swearing in of a new officer, Luis Riviera. The Police Chief Abrams commended Officer Riviera for his exceptional background and impressive credentials. He also highlighted Lt. Culver and Sgt. Garrity’s years of service to Highland Park. Lt. Culver has demonstrated exceptional dedication to the department since his career began in 2002, serving as Patrol Sergeant, County SORT Team Member, Detective Bureau Commander, and OEM Coordinator. Since joining the department in 2006, Sgt. Garrity has spent the majority of his career in the Patrol Division, primarily on the midnight shift, working to keep the borough safe during overnight hours. He is a certified fatal crash investigator, and a strong advocate for DUI enforcement, exemplified by his multiple MADD Awards of Excellence for his outstanding work in identifying and stopping impaired drivers. Please join us in congratulating all three officers on their accomplishments!
2) South Third Avenue Plaza Community Meeting: Council Member Hale reminded residents to mark their calendars on December 15th, from 6:30-8:30pm in Borough Hall, for the final public meeting for the South Third Public Plaza. This will be an opportunity to see the final designs from Arterial, the Borough’s contracted design firm, and give feedback on what the plaza should look like before the project enters into the engineering and construction phases.
3) Public Works Fleet Enhancements: The Borough Council introduced a bond ordinance that, coupled with additional grant funding from the State, secures the funds necessary to purchase much-needed heavy duty vehicles for its fleet, including a new garbage truck as well as other specialized equipment such as a backhoe, an electric loader, and/or bucket truck. These new vehicles will support daily operations, improve service reliability, and modernize the Borough’s equipment for long-term efficiency.
4) Food Handling Guidelines: Based on recommendations from the Highland Park Board of Health, Borough Council approved an ordinance to that consolidates and clarifies local food-safety regulations for retail food establishments. The ordinance formally adopts state sanitary standards and updates licensing and training requirements for businesses that prepare or sell food in Highland Park. These updates help protect public health and help local establishments to meet food safety requirements.
5) Health Services Contract with Middlesex County: The Borough Council authorized the renewal of Highland Park’s shared-services contract with Middlesex County to provide public health services for 2026–2027. Through this agreement, the County continues delivering services such as health inspections, communicable disease monitoring, environmental health oversight, and other core public health functions, ensuring continuity of these essential services for residents.
If you’re interested in watching the December 2nd 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, December 16th at 7 p.m.
