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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A Bernice sighting

Bernice snapping pix at a July 4th Parade.

I have been in shock since Bernice put down her quill pen in June and declared an end to Plaintalker II (see her final post here).

Shock and denial.

I still click her blog's icon on my taskbar every day, in the fond hope that she will have changed her mind and posted one of her always thought-provoking stories on Plainfield goings-on.

She even gently chided me via Facebook for keeping her final blog post at the head of my daily list of blog posts. I took it down, but still miss her daily presence.

So, it was a surprise when I was going through the blogs and other sources for CLIPS on Friday evening to discover that Bernice was the author of a piece on TAPinto Plainfield on the November school board election (see here).

Is this a one-off item, or may we expect to see more reportage from Bernice?

I certainly hope it's the latter.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Free Summer Concert series kicks off Thursday with neo-soul group Flavuh

Series opens with FLAVUH, NY metro area's hottest cover band.

This summer's FREE outdoor concert series kicks off Thursday evening (August 3) at 7:00 PM at the City Hall Plaza.

The concerts will run on Thursday evenings until August 24, and are brought to you by Mayor Adrian O. Mapp and the Plainfield City Council.

Founded by Wayne Griffin in 2003, Flavuh bills itself as the NY Metro area's 'hottest cover band' (see their website here, and check out their Facebook page here).

Many Plainfielders may know them from their gigs at Deltas in New Brunswick.

With a flair for keyboard fireworks, the group is sure to lead a rousing evening in Plainfield. You can check out their YouTube videos here.

Invite your friends, come early and bring a chair. Parking is available in the City Hall parking lot at the rear of the building, which is at Watchung Avenue and East 6th Street.

Here's the roster for the rest of the month --

August 10: Brick City Soul Collective
August 17: Cocomama
August 24: Rhythm Review w/DJs

The series is produced by the Plainfield Division of Recreation in conjunction with Grand Jamz Entertainment.

For more information, call the Rec Division at (908) 753-3097.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Free bike giveaway, Tap dancing, Jamaican flag-raising Saturday

Dairy Queen's free bike giveaway is Saturday AM.

This Saturday will be a busy day in Plainfield. Three events will appeal to a broad cross-section of the city's residents --

FREE BIKE GIVEAWAY

Each year for the past eight years, the Plainfield Dairy Queen has hosted a free bicycle giveaway for Plainfield youngsters. This year's event gets under way at the DQ Saturday morning at 9:00 AM. According to DQ owner Donna Albanese, 150 free, refurbished bicycles will be given away this year.

Donations of used bikes are sought throughout the year, and refurbished by Donna's husband Rich DeMair for the annual distribution. The total number Rich has refurbished over the years is approaching the 1,000 mark.

Bikes are distributed on a first come, first served basis until supplies are exhausted. Don't dally for this popular event.

The Plainfield Dairy Queen is at 1367 South Avenue.

TAP DANCING AT THE LIBRARY

The Plainfield Public Library is celebrating National Dance Day this Saturday with a program at 11:00 AM in the Anne Louise Davis Room.

The NJ Tap Ensemble, based in Bloomfield, will present a tap extravaganza in celebration of National Dance Day.

Founded by its Executive Director Deborah Marshall twenty years ago, the Ensemble is focused on presenting tap programs throughout the state as well as by educating young and aspiring tap dancers through year-round lessons and an intensive summer camp. For more about NJ Tap, see their website here.

The Plainfield Public Library is at Park Avenue and West 8th Street and is an accessible facility. Parking is available in the 8th and 9th Street lots. For more information about library hours and programs, visit the library's website at www.plainfieldlibrary.info/.

JAMAICAN FLAG RAISING

At 2:00 PM, the Jamaican Organization of NJ (JON-J) will celebrate the island nation's 55th anniversary of its independence with a flag-raising ceremony at Plainfield City Hall.

Besides special invited guests, there will be food, music and a variety of vendors.

Plainfield City Hall is at 515 Watchung Avenue, corner of East 6th Street. Parking in the lot behind City Hall.

Be sure not to miss any of these fun events!

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield's 31st National Night Out celebration set for Tuesday

Mayor Mapp addresses the crowd at 2016 celebration.
Seated are honorees Marie Davis (Ward 1) and
Donald Van Blake (Ward 2).

Tuesday, August 1st, will mark Plainfield's 31st annual National Night Out. The city's observance begins at 6:30 PM at City Hall Plaza. There is also a neighborhood celebration coordinated by the Netherwood Heights Neighbors with a community BBQ at Leland Avenue Park.

Over the years, the celebration has grown from residents' turning on their porch lights for the evening to the large communitywide event at City Hall -- with food, music, recognition of civic organizations and programs and demonstrations by publis safety personnel.

Here are some photos from last year's celebration --

The Police Cadet program is recognized.

The Recreation tent is always mobbed.

Signing up for CERT training.

A little help with my glow bracelet, please?

The crowd enjoys itself.

Rose Marie Cathcart staffs the Clerk's information table.

Freeholder Linda Carter and 4th Ward Councilor Bridget Rivers.

Nancy Piwowar chats with Mayor Mapp's Chief of Staff John Steward.

Book bags and firefighter hats were much sought after.

See you Tuesday!

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield's Brooklyn Road finally gets its due

West 7th Street was once two separate roads.

Plainfield's Brooklyn Road will finally get its due -- as part of Union County's 7th Street raid improvements slated to get under way about August 1st.

Back in the day (1870 or so), West 7th Street started at Park Avenue and stopped at Plainfield Avenue. Across the avenue, the street was known as Brooklyn Road. You can see the ghost intersection by noticing the sharp turn in the road at the traffic light. (This is similar to the way the intersections of Front Street, Park Avenue and Somerset Street were straightened out in the 1960s.)

The Union County roads department has announced that milling, paving and striping are to begin August 1 and run for five nights on the stretch from Park Avenue to Clinton Avenue. Work crews are slated from 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM, during which time the road will be close except to local residents and emergency traffic (the Plainfield Rescue Squad is located at West 7th Street and Spooner Avenue).

The street is also known as County Road 601, and is one of Plainfield's busiest streets. Often I must wait for a leisurely parade of cars, vans, trucks and New York buses to pass before I can get out of the driveway.

Over the 35 years we have been at this address, the road has taken quite a beating. A couple of years ago, a novel approach was to mill and apply two long patches that left the original asphalt in the middle and along the gutters on both sides. This was not very successful and after the first winter, the failing bond with the old pavement generated a whole new series of potholes forcing drivers to try to straddle the strips of potholes as they drove to avoid cratering.

Among the most frequent commercial vehicles passing through (besides the NYC buses) are the Pepsi delivery trucks from the Pepsi bottling plant on New Brunswick Road. This bottling plant replaces a facility that used to be in Plainfield. Does anyone remember the location of the Plainfield bottling plant? (Was it next door to the Fire Headquarters on West 4th Street?)

The County advises the Traffic Bureau is available to answer any questions you may have about the road work. Call them during regular business hours at (908) 789-6011.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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