FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - MARCH 13, 2020 - BOROUGH OF FAIR HAVEN

Dear Fair Haven Residents:  

Out of the abundance of caution and to help curtail the possibility of community spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Borough of Fair Haven will be implementing the following procedures, effective the close of business on Friday, March 13, 2020. 

MUNICIPAL OFFICES & FACILITIES

• Municipal Offices
  • Physical public access to most municipal buildings, including: Borough Hall, Fair Haven Library, the Community Center, Bi-Centennial Hall and the Public Works Office will be suspended until further notice. 
  • All offices will remain open and Borough staff will be available during regular business hours to answer questions and concerns from the public, via telephone and email; however, no in office visitation will be permitted for the duration of the closing.
  • All residents and property owners are encouraged to utilize our online payment options for taxes and our online registration platform for Recreation. Taxes can also be paid by USPS, or deposited in the drop box, located in the Borough Hall vestibule.
  • The next Fair Haven Municipal Court session is scheduled for Monday, March 23^rd. Please call the Court Administrator, Michele, Smallze at 732-530-7131, for information on court related matters.
  • Emergent matters related to Police records and permits will be handled by the Police Department, on a case by case basis.   You can call the Police Department at 732-747-0991.
• Planning, Zoning & Building Departments
  • Permit application drop off will be available through vestibule drop box access at Rumson and Fair Haven Borough Halls.  For Construction please call Lynda Doyle @ 732-842-3022.  For Planning and Zoning, please call Jennifer Johnson @ 732-747-0241 * 215.
• Department of Public Works
  • Access to the Department of Public Works recycling area will be suspended until further notice.  Residents and businesses should utilize their Borough recycling can for weekly pickup.  Please do not put recycling outside of your can and do not put recycling in plastic bags.
• Recreation Facilities
  • All indoor recreation facilities are closed until further notice.    
  • The Borough’s public parks and associated bathroom facilities will remain open at this time. Residents are reminded that the CDC recommends six (6) feet of personal distance space, as the best practice to avoid the spread of coronavirus. 

RECREATION ACTIVITIES

We are canceling/postponing the following events

• Rutgers Coaching Clinic ( 3/26) 
• Mother Son Dance( 3/27 + 3/28)
• Teen Canteen (4/3)
• Easter Egg Hunt (4/4)
• Opening Day Parade (4/25)

We are postponing the start of all spring sports and scheduled athletic groups at the parks

• Rec Softball/Baseball/Lacrosse/ Men’s Basketball
• RFH Sports- Will be revisited once schools are in session
• Knollwood Sports- Will be revisited once schools are in session
• Various other groups- Girls On The Run, Mens Softball, Mens Baseball,etc

We are canceling the following camps

• Spring Snapology Camp (indoor)
• Spring Tinkergarten Camp (outdoor)
• USSI Camps- Delayed until May 1^st at the earliest- possible to cancel all together

FAIR HAVEN PUBLIC LIBRARY

• The Fair Haven Public Library will be closed until further notice.
• Due dates for materials will be pushed to at least April 1 and fines will be suspended.  If you want to return library materials, you can use the book drop in the vestibule of Borough Hall.

PUBLIC INFORMATION

• Timely information related to all Borough operations will be available through the Borough’s official Face Book page, the Borough website, Constant Contact, E-Blasts and Nixle text messaging.   If you are not already registered to receive any of our communication platforms, you can do so by going to the Borough’s website: www.fairhavennj.org or by calling Borough Hall at 732-747-0241 *219. Please encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for all Borough communication platforms. If you know of any resident who does not have access to the internet in their home, please tell them to call Borough Hall @ 732-747-0241 *219, so we can arrange for them to receive hard copies of Borough notices, during this state of emergency.  

SENIOR CITIZENS

• Senior citizens are a population that is most vulnerable to the coronavirus. The Borough encourages our senior residents to be particularly vigilant when it comes to avoiding any exposure to the coronavirus. If anyone knows a senior citizen in our community who may need assistance during this prolonged state of emergency, please call Fair Haven Police Officer, Eric Patton, at 732-747-0991, or you can email him at epatton@fhboro.net   You can also leave a message for Officer Patton by calling Borough Hall at 732-747-0241 *333.
• We are committed to staying connected to our older residents during this health emergency and will be taking steps to make regular calls to our most vulnerable seniors at home.  We will also stay in contact by giving them regular updates, via phone, USPS,  or email
• We may need volunteers to provide remote assistance to our seniors.  If you are interested in helping, please contact Borough Hall at 732-747-0241 *221 or email our Borough Clerk, Allyson Cinquegrana at acinquegrana@fhboro.net .

PUBLIC MEETINGS

• All Board, Commission and Committee meetings are cancelled, at least through March 31.
• At this time, the Borough Council meeting scheduled for Monday, March 23 will still be held; however, the public will not be permitted to attend the meeting in person.  The meeting will be livestreamed to the public.   More information on this, including how the public will be permitted to participate in the meeting, will be forthcoming next week. Please note that the March 23^rd Governing Body meeting agenda will be limited to essential Borough business only.  As is always the practice, the agenda will be posted and available prior to the meeting. 

OVERNIGHT PARKING

• Chief McGovern has suspended overnight parking restrictions, which were due to be lifted on April 1^st.   Please comply with all other parking statutes and ordinances, as they will remain in effect and will be enforced. 

GARBAGE & RECYCLING, LEAF AND BULK

• As of today, Curbside garbage, recycling, vegetative waste (leaf), and bulk pickups will operate on the regularly published schedule.
• Recycling will be picked up curbside every Wednesday, with no additional drop-off option until further notice. 

GENERAL INFORMATION

All information provided is subject to change as this pandemic evolves.  Residents are advised to monitor the Borough’s website and online social media for updates.  We do realize that changing normal routines, cancelling events and not seeing friends can be disruptive and upsetting, but we are acting in your best interest by taking CDC recommendations very seriously and we urge you to do the same.

The Borough understands the public’s concerns about COVID-19 and the Borough’s Regional Health Commission team is working closely with the NJDOH and the CDC to monitor and respond to the situation.

The Monmouth County Regional Health Commission reminds the public to practice proper hygiene:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, and remember to throw the tissue into the trash
• Avoid close contact with sick people
• Stay home if you are sick

The CDC has identified older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung, or kidney disease are at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness.  According to the CDC, early data suggests older people are twice as likely to have serious COVID-19 illness.

That is why the CDC recommends that people at higher risk follow the measures cited below:

• Stay at home as much as possible
• Stock up on supplies, food and prescriptions.
• Take advantage of many delivery options in our community. 

Take everyday precautions to keep space between yourself and others.

• When you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact, and wash your hands often.
• Avoid crowds as much as possible.
• Avoid cruise travel and non-essential air travel.

Symptoms to monitor include fever, cough and shortness of breath.  If you experience any symptoms, please contact your medical care provider. 

We strongly urge all residents to take all necessary precautions to prevent the community spread of COVID-19.  We cannot over emphasize the importance of limiting social contact while the Borough  and the School District restrictions are in place.  Taking the necessary precautions and remaining mindful of restricting person-to-person contact should be foremost in our day-to-day lives for the time being.

On behalf of Mayor Lucarelli and the Fair Haven Borough Council, I want to assure our residents that the Borough is taking every precaution and every action possible to keep our community informed and safe.  We are monitoring all guidance and directives from Federal, State and County Officials, but we will also not hesitate to utilize all of our local resources and/or make local decisions, which are deemed to be in the best interest of Fair Haven.   We ask all our residents to be mindful that during this emergency our first responders are the most essential personnel in the Borough.  In Fair Haven, the greatest number of first responders are all volunteer.  Individually and collectively, we owe the Fair Haven Fire Department, the Fair Haven First Aid and all their associated sub-departments, a great deal of thanks, but never more so than during any state of emergency.  I ask everyone in our community to keep our first responders in your thoughts and prayers, especially during the upcoming weeks. 

In closing, as always, I welcome all input from our residents.  If you have a question, comment, or suggestion that you think may be helpful, please email me at tcasagrande@fhboro.net . I may not answer you immediately, but I assure you that I will read every email and I will respond to you as soon as practical.  I sincerely thank you for your anticipated cooperation and ongoing support.

Best regards,
Theresa Casagrande, Fair Haven Borough Administrator