Neighborhood Health Center celebrates National Health Center Week

Stethoscope gets a workout at health center event.
(Photo courtesy healthcenterweek.org)

Beginning Monday (August 14), the Neighborhood Health Services Corporation will join with health centers across the country in celebrating National Health Centers Week (see website here).

According to the national organization's website, one in every fifteen people living in the United States depends on health center services. Health centers are among the highest ranked and cost-effective health care providers in the nation.

Plainfield's Neighborhood Health Services Corporation is proud to be a part of such a fine tradition.

Activities will take place at various Plainfield sites throughout the week --

Monday, August 14
NHC-Plainfield
1700 Myrtle Avenue
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Wednesday, August 16
Plainfield YMCA
518 Watchung Avenue
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Saturday, August 19
NHC-Cardinal (PHS)
950 Park Avenue
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

At each location there will be FREE health screenings, dental screenings, nutrition information and educational demonstrations.

There will also be FREE give-aways, a Moon Walk, music, games, refreshments and door prizes.

This year's sponsors include:United Healthcare, Horizon NJ Health, Amerigroup, Wellcare, Ray's Pharmacy and Drug Mart Pharmacy.

Questions? For more information, call Denise English at (908) 753-6401 x1988 or Andrea Taylor at (908) 753-6401 x1925.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Next! Jazz featured in FREE Thursday Concert tonight

James Gibbs III brings the Brick City Soul Collective to City Hall.

Tonight's FREE concert at City Hall features jazz, soul and R&B performances by James Gibbs III and the Brick City Soul Collective (see their website here).

The group's Facebook page (here) lists Gibbs on trumpet and flugelhorn, Cliff Kee on bass guitar, keyboardist Mike Parker, and Stan Luke on drums. Vocals are provided by Sabriyah Williams. They also have a number of singles on YouTube. (If you're curious about how the flugelhorn differs from the trumpet and cornet, see here.)

Bring a friend and a couple of chairs and enjoy a summer evening concert. The program gets under way at 7:00 PM at City Hall Plaza, Watchung Avenue and East 6th Street. Parking available in the lot behind City Hall.

Unlike last week, when the program was delayed by a shower, this Thursday is expected to be comfortably warm and dry.

The Summer Concert series continues next Thursday (August 17) with Cocomama, and concludes on August 24 with a Rhythm Revue, featuring DJ's who will play for the audience to dance by.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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City's emergency phone messaging system glitch needs a fix

Pushing emergency alerts and public service announcements toresidents' cellphones is a great idea,
but execution could be improved.

Last Friday, as I was about to go out to dinner with friends, I noticed a call from the city's emergency notification system (908-251-9137) on my voicemails.

An initial portion of the message was missing; all I got was a reminder that anyone found "there" after dusk would be subject to a citation for trespassing. Wherever "there" was, it must have been specified in the lost portion of the message.

The "mystery" was solved today when I noticed a brief item on TAPinto (see here) advising residents to be mindful of the rules at the new Skate Park.

This was not the first time this very useful service has failed to deliver the goods. I have previously mentioned the problem to city officials, who said several phone calls had been received about the issue. I suggested that a quick fix would be to preface the message with some introductory language (For instance: "Hello. This is a community service message from the City of Plainfield..") which would not be missed if it wasn't broadcast.

But the system should really just work: What is recorded should be what is heard by the resident. All of it.

It may not be so important for this particular message, but when it's an emergency, or a missing child, or a confused older person who has wandered away, getting the whole message out on the first try is crucial.

Many of the surrounding communities routinely use Nixle for such notices (especially road work and traffic alerts), but Plainfield's use of the Nixle service seems to be sporadic, which is a shame.

The city should be praised for using these methods to communicate with the community in a timely manner, but the usefulness of a message is directly related to its completeness.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Photos bookend a summer week in Plainfield

Mayor Mapp with members of the Youth Commission
at the 2017 National Night Out. (Photo courtesy Nancy Jordan)

Here are two photos that bookend a summer week in Plainfield --

The photo above shows Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp with members of the Plainfield Youth Commission at the National Night Out celebration on Tuesday, August 1.

From left to right, they are Alexis Henderson, Elizabeth Doré, Myor Mapp, and Angel Loraflores. The photo is courtesy of Commissioner Nancy Jordan, who advises the group is planning a pool party for later in August

Councilor Barry Goode and attendees at
NJ Sharing Network Cookout at Milt Campbell Field.

Pictured above are attendees at Saturday's cookout and kickball tournament at Milt Campbell Field, sponsored by the NJ Sharing Network.

The Network's week of events -- of which this was the closing activity -- focused on honoring the generosity of multicultural organ donors and their families, while underscoring the need for people from diverse communities to register as organ and tissue donors.

The photo was supplied by Councilor Barry Goode. Can you spot him?

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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'Music in The Park' concert at Milt Campbell Field this Wednesday

This year's 'Music in The Park' concert has been moved to
Milt Campbell Field owing to construction on South Avenue.

The annual free 'Music in The Park' concert is set for this Wednesday (August 9), beginning at 6:00 PM sharp.

Owing to construction of the new apartment complex on South Avenue, the concert has been bumped from its usual location at Plainwood Square Park for this year.

This year's entertainment will bring the soulful Philly sound to Plainfield, with MPACK as the opening group (website and videos here), and featuring a 'battle of the groups' format, with Harold Melvin's Blue Notes (more here, plus videos), Winfree sings hits by 'The Moments' and The Delfonics Revue (website, videos and photos here).

Local talent -- aged 8 to 18 years old -- will be showcased in the annual 'Plainfield Idol Competition' portion, which opens the show.

The free evening of entertainment is brought to you by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the City of Plainfield, Adrian O. Mapp, mayor. Underwriting support also comes from McDonalds-Plainfield and Plainfield Burger King, the Plainfield Cultural & Heritage Commission, New Outlook Pioneers, Mr. Plainfield and TD+Partners.

Be sure come early and bring lawn chairs or blankets -- there are no benches at Milt Campbell Field. In case of rain, the show will take place at Shiloh Baptist Church's Community Life Center, 515 West 4th Street.

For more information, call the intrepid Pat Fields, who produces the annual show, at (908) 369-1152.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Cookout and Kickball Tournament at Milt Campbell Field on Saturday

Cookout and Kickball this Saturday.

The New Jersey Sharing Network is hosting a Cookout and Kickball Tournament this Saturday as part of its week long celebration of National Minority Donor Awareness Week.

The NJ Sharing Network's week of events -- of which this is the closing event -- has been focused on honoring the generosity of multicultural organ donors and their families, while underscoring the need for people from diverse communities to register as organ and tissue donors.

Plainfield's own Donna Albanese, owner of the Dairy Queen, is among those who promote becoming a donor (Donna herself donated a kidney to her mother a number of years ago).

The Cookout and Kickball Tournament is open to community residents, their families and friends. It will be held at Milt Campbell Field on East 3rd Street between Terrill Road and Hillcrest Street. The event runs from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Entry to the event is free. There is a $10 entry fee for the kickball tournament, payable at the door. Vendors will offer food for sale. Plus there will be a DJ and music.

Have questions?  Shoot an email to Keath at kgerald@njsharingnetwork.org.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield Board of Ed in special meeting Thursday night

The Plainfield Board of Ed has called a special meeting for Thursday, August 3, in the PHS Conference Room for 7:00 PM. The notice includes the ominous "action may be taken" phrase (the agenda is here).

So, what action might be taken?

The Plainfield Education Association (PEA) noted on its Facebook page last Thursday (see here) that a tentative agreement had been reached on the District's new contract with the PEA. Is that the action to be taken?

Could be, if the agreement has been ratified by the PEA, but I've heard no word on that.

There are also two other weighty items of business that need to be resolved --

• Hiring a consultant to help guide the Board through the search process, and
  
  
• Hiring an Interim Superintendent.

Either of these options could be the "action" to be taken.

I have heard that Dr. Larry Leverett, the former Plainfield superintendent who recently retired as executive director of the Panasonic Foundation and now runs a consultancy in education matters is among candidates for the consultant contract for the search process.

Finally, a kvetch about the BOE's meeting practices.

A "special meeting" is not just an extra meeting or a meeting on a day other than the regular meeting day.

To call a "special meeting" means to take up a special item(s) that will not or should not wait for the regularly scheduled meeting. The Open Public Meetings Act requires that the notice for the meeting list the item(s) to be discussed so far as they are known.

For more on the subject, see the Digital Media Law Project's handy guide here.

So, why does the Plainfield BOE not conform to this protocol?

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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A Plainfield radio mystery

Logo of John Hockenberry's The Takeaway news show.

May car radio has two presets: news and talk on WNYC at 93.9 FM and music at WQXR, 105.9 FM. I listen to the talk, call-in and news shows (except when they're too painful, when I switch to music.

Monday afternoon (July 31), John Hockenberry's The Takeaway was promoting its reader call-ins on the subject of favorite childhood books. (You can listen online here.)

Suddenly, there was a recorded phone call to the program. A cheery, somewhat husky voice began with "Hi! It's Lois calling from Plainfield."

Whenever I hear someone calling in from Plainfield, I listen closely to see if I can figure out who it is.

The caller went on: "My favorite childhood book was Winnie the Pooh. First my mother got a copy and read it to me, then when my sister came along I read it to her, and when my brother came along, she read it to him.

Bang! That must be my friend Lois Mattson, Councilor Storch's wife.

Pulling over to the side of the street, I called her cell. She picked up after the first ring and I asked her if she enjoyed Winnie the Pooh as a child. Yes, she said.

And then I asked if she had called in to WNYC, to which she replied "No, why?"

As I told her the story, she said, "Isn't that strange? Could have happened, but it wasn't me. Besides, my brother came first, then my sister."

"I'd be curious to know who it was," she said.

So would I.

Anybody have any clues?

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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G-Wiz Car Show added to National Night Out celebration

Summer Youth Mentoring program participnats recognized
at 2016 National Night Out.

Plainfield's 31st Annual National Night Out celebration gets under way at City Hall at 6:30 PM on Tuesday (August 1) -- see my previous post here.

Word comes today that G-Wiz Auto Entertainment will be participating, offering for your delight a show of classic, muscle and vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles. They will occupy Watchung Avenue between City Hall and the flagpole at East 7th Street.

Back-to-school bookbags will be distributed. The DPW will serve hot dogs. There will be music, information booths by community organizations, a bounce house for the little ones, and an opportunity for all to mingle with Plainfield police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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