LAKEHURST – Mayor Harry Robbins presented high school senior Jazmin Dolor a certificate of participation in the Louis Bay 2nd Municipal Leaders Scholarship Competition. The teenager read her one-page essay to the governing body during a recent Borough Council meeting.
Dolor’s essay, “Lakehurst: Small Town, Giant Services” described the borough saying “good thing come in small packages.” She added that while the borough is best known for where the Hindenburg crashed and burned it “offers far more than its history.”
“Lakehurst has an unmistakable community feel with the hosts of events that are provided to its residents and others. It is obvious that the municipal government has taken into consideration the importance of services and safety to its residents and has done an outstanding job in those areas.”
She noted memorable events like the National Night Out usually held in October, the 4th of July festivities which would normally include a car show and swimming in Lake Horicon and the fireworks themselves.
Dolor also wrote about the borough’s printing of yearly calendars with all the events and services included in them and that while Lakehurst was small compared to nearby towns, its services and special events more than made up for its size. “I’m grateful for all the planning behind the scenes that makes all these things we enjoy possible and I would like to thank all those who work tirelessly to make them happen,” she wrote in her concluding paragraph.
The mayor said the essay contest was part of a state wide $1,000 scholarship program involving schools throughout New Jersey and “the competition centers on a theme that centers on what municipal government does for its residents.”
“We are very proud of you. You did a good job and hopefully some day after you finish school you’ll come and take my place,” the mayor said.
During the meeting Council President Steven Oglesby spoke about the feasibility of the public works department reopening to full service to the public. Mayor Robbins said that the department was open currently on Saturdays.
“Right now, everything is put off,” the mayor added.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, National Night Out has been postponed throughout the country. The 4th of July festivities including the car show and fireworks display have had to be cancelled this year as well. Mayor Robbins and members of the council noted that next year, when the borough celebrates its big centennial, both events will be bigger and better than ever.
This happened during the Borough Council’s first in-person meeting in months on June 18.
Once again meetings will be held at the borough’s community center. Social distancing was observed with chairs spaced six feet apart and everyone wore masks.
In other news, Councilman Gary Lowe recommended an unused area of the court room be utilized to allow for more space for the staff there. That issue will be reviewed further for its feasibility.
The borough is in need of lifeguards at its lakes now that recreation areas have been reopened to the public and the summer season has arrived.
“They need to be qualified because of the timing involved due to the coronavirus,” Councilman Robert McCarthy added.
McCarthy also provided some school district news that a long-time school board member had recently resigned and that the superintendent Loren Fuhring had received a bonus of $3,587. “She gets three of them (performance-based incentive bonuses) annually.”
The fire department will be meeting with the chief financial officer in town in regards to its quotes for ordering radios. The last quote was a state contract quote according to McCarthy.
McCarthy also noted that the police department’s detention facility was recently inspected and was found to be in compliance. “The switch to county records management is complete. It is a much less expensive system than what we had and it frees up the officers quite a bit and I understand that the county dispatchers fill in a lot of the information flow that the officers typically had to do. Six printers were purchased to accommodate this new system.”
