New Milford Boro plans a ‘community night’

New Milford Borough is planning to hold a “Community Night” as a way to recognize and thank borough residents.

Following the devastating fire at the Summit Restaurant, the borough experienced a water outage of nearly one week.

“People were wonderful. A lot of people were looking out for their neighbors,” offered Council President Teri Gulick at the Aug. 1 meeting, “We need to acknowledge that.”

The Community Night is slated to be held Wednesday, Sept. 18 in Midtown Park, from 5-7 p.m.

Prior to setting the date, Councilman Rick Ainey said he preferred to wait until the borough could present information and a plan for any future similar situations. Representatives from the borough council, municipal authority and fire company will be meeting to formulate a plan.

Council briefly discussed the dry hydrant, reporting that the intent is to maintain what is there and then it can be repaired, according to information received by the borough from DEP.

The congested intersection of Routes 11 and 492 tops council’s concerns – especially after traffic was recently at a standstill for nearly five hours following a crash on the interstate that diverted traffic down Route 11 and a tractor trailer break-down at the intersection.

The closure of a bridge on Church Street due to safety concerns has also diverted through traffic onto Main Street. Plans are in progress to address the emergency situation.

Council approved nearly $3,000 to fix the back parking lot at the borough building.

Plans are underway for a local Girl Scout to install a Little Free Library on the south side of MidTown Park.

Council also discussed replacing “No Smoking” signs for the borough parks, as the signage in place has faded.