Thursday, August 18, 2022

LAMBERTVILLE MATTERS

Ready. Set. Enjoy!

Dispatch from City Hall

by Mayor Andrew Nowick

“Maybe neighbors could just talk to each other to solve the problem.” J, age 8

“Chicken problems, if they go into other gardens, maybe it should just be building a fence.” K, age 7

Thank you to everyone who wrote a letter about chickens in the City. I received about forty letters – all well considered and earnest.

Most of them expressed support for living in a town where chickens have historically been tucked into yards and are often known by neighbors.

There’s a lot of kindly sentiment for these animals who eat insects and provide eggs. There were a half a dozen letters from residents who don’t want loose chickens in their yards.

Do we need an Ordinance? Upon reflection I don’t think we do.

Rather than legislate these kinds of problems away, creating distance between neighbors, let’s encourage neighbors to resolve an issue whenever possible. I recognize this is not easy. I receive frequent requests from residents asking me to ask their neighbors to trim hedges, cut grass, remove “junk” from yards, paint fences, mind their chickens, etc. Upon my asking one resident to improve a roadway sight line by trimming vegetation, she pondered why the neighbor just didn’t stop by and ask her. A similar request I made of another resident brought a gruff reply of how unfortunate it is that neighbors can’t talk to each other. In one case maybe the neighbor was shy about asking; in the other, maybe the neighbor suspected a grouch and strategically passed the job on to the Mayor.

To the extent I can act as intermediary, I don’t particularly mind, but it can be time consuming. The best solution is, as J. put it, “maybe neighbors could just talk to each other to solve the problems.” A knock, a note, a call, and I bet you’ll find your neighbor didn’t know about the issue or had planned to make the fence more secure that very weekend.

Roosters? The sentiment is largely let them crow. I’m willing to bet there are more people in this City frustrated by persistently barking dogs than by three crowing roosters. And should cats get off scot-free? No way. I was three years plagued by a handsome, collared cat of unidentified residence who made a daily visit and a daily deposit in my garden. In the end, here we all are, living together in 1.2 square miles, whatever our charms or shortcomings.

“Building a fence,” as K suggests, is a very sound idea. I strongly encourage secure fences and enclosures to keep chickens confined to their owner’s property, not to mention keeping predators out of the henyard. If need be, the governing body will revisit this, but let’s hope people now know about the issue and will be considerate, responsible neighbors.

At tonight’s City Council meeting the Governing Body will move into the public forum two matters it has discussed in Closed Session. While these matters have been under consideration for months, this is the first-time residents will hear of them. For those who cannot attend the meeting, I will write about them in next week’s Dispatch.

Be well and be kind,

Andrew

Community Kitchen is Back!

Centenary United Methodist Church is happy to announce that Community Kitchen lunch is back!

Pick up a free bagged lunch each Wednesday during the month of August
between 11:30am and 1pm
at 108 N Union Street.

Each lunch includes two sandwiches, assorted salads, fruit, drink and dessert.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out - call 609-397-2468
or email cumclambertville@gmail.com

A Water What?

Did you know we live in a watershed? No, it’s not a little hut that stores water. A watershed is an area of land that drains all of the local streams and rainfall into a common source – in our case it’s the Delaware River.

The watershed includes not just land but also the surface water in creeks and ponds, and underground water in our aquifers. Also known as a basin, the watershed gets its shape from the natural landscape that allows water to easily flow into the river.

The Delaware River watershed stretches over 12,000 square miles and four states – New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The headwaters for the river originate in the Catskill Mountain Range, and eventually make it all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The watershed is an important source of clean water for people and wildlife alike, and just happens to create beautiful scenery along the way.

Feeling inspired to get outside? Check out this list of hikes that explore our watershed! To learn more about the Delaware River watershed, click here, or
sign up to become a NJ Watershed Ambassador

Brews and a New Best Friend?

This weekend, Animal Alliance is teaming up with
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company for a fundraiser and adoption event!

Adoptable dogs from Animal Alliance will be on site, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the shelter. You can also pick up swag, art, baked goods, and of course a beer!

Saturday, August 20
12pm - 7pm

Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company
909 Ray Avenue Croydon, PA, 19021

Shedding Light on Street Opening

There’s not much better than wandering down a quiet Lambertville street enjoying the summer weather. But an uneven sidewalk can quickly turn that stroll into a stumble.

Homeowners, please keep an eye out for sidewalk hazards around your houses and make expedient repairs if your sidewalks begin to go awry.

Do I need a permit for that? Yes.
Street Opening permits are required any time sidewalk work requires an opening through or under a sidewalk. In addition to the application, a sketch or diagram (hand-drawn is okay) should be submitted to explain the work to be done.

Before any work begins, you need to know what’s below. Contact the NJ DIG hotline by dialing 811, any time day or night. Wait for the site to be marked with paint, flags, or stakes. Dig with care when digging within two feet of either side of a marked utility.

We stay safe above and below ground by maintaining our sidewalks and digging safely when repairs are necessary.

Oaxaca Weekend

Support our first-ever festival that celebrates Oaxaca’s rich cultural heritage as seen through the eyes of our oaxaqueño neighbors and friends.

The festival was created and is hosted by Lambertville Library’s group, Latinas en Lambertville.

Join us for food, music, dancers, and art this Sunday on the library lawn.

Click here for more information about Oaxaca Festival!

Dirty Birds

In this hot dry weather, our feathered friends need water too!

They need to drink, and they also need a place to take a bath. A birdbath is great for serving both needs, or you can just put out a shallow bowl or plant saucer with water.

Make sure to change the water about every three days
so that the birds have fresh, clean water. Changing the water frequently will
also ensure that mosquito larvae don’t have time to develop.

Today I Learned

After a 41 year battle, the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, awarding women the right to vote.

Champions for women’s rights worked tirelessly, through years of agitation and protest. The change took so long to occur that very few of its early supporters were still alive when the amendment was finally ratified.

Suffragette leaders included Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony, and Lucretia Mott.

In May 1919, President Woodrow Wilson called a special meeting of Congress to consider the issue. Over the next year, states began to ratify the 19th Amendment until it all came down to a single State Representative in Tennessee who was just 24 years old. After originally voting No on the issue, Representative Harry Burn changed his position when he received a letter from his mother. The House approved the amendment, which had passed by one single vote.

In the Know

Last week’s CERT Team meeting covered Shelters and the vital role that CERT plays in sheltering fellow residents during emergencies.

CERT welcomes anyone who is interested
(and over age 18) to join the team!
Call 609-397-3132 and speak with Lt Brown or Corporal Matt Bast, or email Lambertvilleoem@lambertvillenj.org.

CERT Team volunteers meet regularly for hands-on trainings and drills on a variety of emergency scenarios.