February 2015

In This Issue
- Avalon development update

- Come to Bloomfield Night

  at Prudential Center

- Are you prepared for nursing

  home costs?

- Police launch "Coffee with

  a Cop" and "Neighborhood

  Watch"   

- February health screenings

- Catch up on the February 

  arts scene 

- Vaccines aren't just for         
  children
Winter Road
Projects

If weather allows, the following road projects will begin this month.

Essex Avenue - Resurfacing and drainage improvements from Benson Street to Bay Avenue.  

 

Six Points (Intersection of Broad Street and Bloomfield Avenue) - Improvements will include paving, curbs, streetscaping (trees, bushes, benches), traffic lights and pedestrian walkways.

... 
Winter softball clinics are here!

Four pitching clinics and two hitting and fielding clinics for children are available this month from Bloomfield Recreation.   Learn more

Upcoming Town Council Meetings

 

Feb. 2,  7 p.m.     

  Council Chambers   

  (conference meeting)

Feb. 9,  7 p.m.     

  Council Chambers   

  (regular meeting)

Feb. 23,  7 p.m.  

  Law Enforcement   

  Building (conference  

  meeting)

March 2,  7 p.m.  

  Demarest School,  

  465 Broughton Ave.    

  (regular meeting)

DPW is on Facebook
... 
Bloomfield DPW launched a Facebook page on Jan. 2. To check it out, go to Facebook and type in "Bloomfield Department of Public Works & Parks." Online comments are discouraged and no replies will be made. Instead, comment by calling (973) 680-4127 or
send e-mail.
Get your January BUZZ in PDF format
... 
Your January Bloomfield BUZZ came in your mail box, but if you'd like an electronic copy, download it here.
Alternate-side parking? Go figya
... 
DPW has multiple reasons for asking you to move your car across the street.
Read more

Do you qualify?

... 

- Food Stamps

- Local Food Pantries

- Utility Assistance

- Prescription Assistance

- Rental Assistance

- Health Insurance

... 

Find out whether you qualify at Bloomfield Human Services. Call (973) 680-4017.

...

Come to Q&A on Bloomfield animal shelter
Mayor's Town Hall Meeting, Feb. 4 

...

A Q&A session with Vince Ascolese, animal services director at North Jersey Humane Society Rescue Center, will take place at 7 p.m. on Feb. 4. Mayor Michael J. Venezia will host the Town Hall Meeting to be held in council chambers (#1 Municipal Plaza). All residents are invited. Learn about the shelter's ongoing construction project, adoption successes since NJHS took over shelter management, the new partnership with Dr. Nelson Diaz, DVM, training opportunities for volunteer Animal Response Team members, fundraising projects, micro-chipping and more.  Read more
Avalon on track for fall completion 

Avalon Bloomfield Station, the residential rental development across from Bloomfield Train Station, is more than 50% leased. The 1-, 2- and 3- bedroom apartments will be available for lease this spring. 

Join Bloomfield   in the spotlight at Prudential Center

The New Jersey Devils have invited Bloomfield to participate in the "My Town Series," on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. Join friends and neighbors in a lively community celebration at Newark's Prudential Center while watching the NJ Devils face off against the Boston Bruins.  Read more 

Anticipating a nursing home?
Get your assets in order first
... 
There are ways to enter a nursing home without exhausting a family's assets. "Elderlaw - Issues Facing Seniors" is a free seminar to be offered Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 6:45 p.m. at Bloomfield Public Library.  Read more 
Help for the homeless
in sub-freezing temps
           If the mercury drops below 20 degrees, Bloomfield is ready. New Light Baptist Church, 89-91 Dewey Street, has agreed to be a "warming station" between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. If you spot a homeless individual in need of shelter, contact the Bloomfield Police at (973) 680-4141 or Bloomfield Human Services at (973) 680-4017 and they will get the church opened. Bloomfield is also working with Essex County to assist homeless people who need overnight shelter. Call the same numbers for an overnight outreach.

 Try 'Coffee 

 with a Cop'

            Imagine you're in a    coffee shop enjoying a cuppa  jo, and in walks a Bloomfield police officer. "Hmmm. . . should I ask about that . . .?"

            Imagine no more because now you can do just that. "Coffee with a Cop" is a new informal way to meet one-on-one with a Bloomfield police officer. Read more

Get Street Smart
Join Neighborhood Watch

          It took just two months for Bloomfield residents to launch 21 Neighborhood Watch groups after the township's new program was announced in November. Police say more groups are encouraged. Learn how you can start one.  Read more 

,,,
The February Arts Scene 

o Valentine's Day Murder Mystery on Feb. 14 at
   Oakeside.
o Cabaret singing with Corinna Sowers-Adler and       
   friends at Oakeside, Feb. 22.
o Dan Faulk Trio, jazz at Bloomfield Library, Feb. 28.
Vaccines aren't just for children

Remember polio vaccines on a sugar cube? Or measles quarantine signs on neighborhood houses? Unless you're over 50, you wouldn't remember, and that's just the point. We tend to think that diseases like polio, measles, tetanus and mumps have been conquered. But they keep coming back. That's why adults are never too old to get vaccines.

If you don't have a health care provider, call Bloomfield Public Health Nursing for a vaccine assessment at (973) 680-4058. Or use this vaccine assessment tool to
do your own research. 

Bloomfield Public Health Nursing offers free adult vaccines for people age 19 and older. To qualify, you must be uninsured or under-insured (meaning no vaccine coverage). A nominal one-time registration fee and $10 administration will be charged on the first visit. Call the nursing office for details.  

For other currently available health screenings click here 

 
Food Handlers: This course is for you!
           The Bloomfield Health Department is offering five sessions of the food handler's training course from March through November. Each three-hour session teaches fundamental food safety practices. People who work in food service in Bloomfield are required to take the course every year to obtain a one-year certificate. Those interested in finding a food-handling job are welcome to take the class. Training takes place in the Law Enforcement Building on Municipal Plaza, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Available dates are March 26, May 21, July 23, Sept. 24 and Nov. 19. Registration is required. The fee is $20 person. For information or to sign up, call (973) 680-4024.
Get the best lit & flicks at the library 
o New York Times bestseller, "The Shack," will stir emotions during the Library 
   Book Club session on Monday, Feb. 2 at 6:45 p.m.
o Pianist Matthew Ball (aka The Boogie Woogie Kid) performs Feb. 6, at 7:30. 
o Enjoy a human anatomy cartooning class on Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.
o Eight highly rated movies will be screened Monday and Thursday afternoons
   in February.   Details here 
They want you YOU to join! 

Bloomfield Chorale

Want to sing with a performing group? Previous choral experience is helpful but not required to join the Bloomfield Chorale.  Read more

Historical Society of Bloomfield

The Historical Society is seeking active members to help preserve Bloomfield history. Meetings/presentations are held in March, May and October at the Bloomfield Civic Center. Read more