Category: Health

Mosquito Spraying: Where and why?

Keith Kaplan / / Health, Safety, Teaneck

Resident Glenn Williams Jr submitted the following query to the group:

So…I took a snippet overlaying where Bergen County has sprayed for Mosquitos the last 4 times (2018-2021). And I mean…this is almost hilarious to see. I’m genuinely interested in hearing a reasonable explanation as to how this is even possible. Do the mosquitos stop in the middle of Votee park to play basketball? Do they only cross Route 4 in one area? I mean COME ON. lol. I mean I’m willing to listen, but this doesn’t make a lot of sense to me at all. 4 years?
At first glance, it certainly seems odd.
So I did two things.
  1. I called the county to get information (they have yet to call me back)
  2. I looked up the Environmental Resource Inventory (available here)

Bergen County Mosquito Control

Continue reading “Mosquito Spraying: Where and why?”

2021 Mosquito Spraying

Keith Kaplan / / Health, Safety, Teaneck

Tomorrow, August 2, the County will be spraying for Mosquitos throughout Teaneck.

The map of areas set for spraying can be found below.

In compliance with N.J.A.C. Title 7, Chapter 30, the Bergen County Mosquito Control Division BCMCD will be applying insecticides for the control of adult mosquito populations on an area-wide basis, in Teaneck, on Monday, August 2, 2021 between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM. Continue reading “2021 Mosquito Spraying”

The End of Prohibition in Teaneck? [Part 1]

Keith Kaplan / / Development, Health, Ordinances, Safety, Teaneck

It seems that the end of prohibition may officially be on the horizon.  Once a never-ending war on the foul drugs of decadence, those in the temperance movement on the waning side of history.

What will the future be like in the USA, NJ, and Teaneck in particular once prohibition is finally over?

It’s unclear for sure, but we will track developments here. Continue reading “The End of Prohibition in Teaneck? [Part 1]”

Rodda Center POD to Close on June 27th

Keith Kaplan / / Health, Safety, Teaneck

After a very successful six month operation, the Richard Rodda Center COVID-19 vaccination site will close on June 27, 2021. Since opening in early January, this incredible vaccination site administered well over 100,000 doses of vaccine which saved many lives across the State.

This remarkable achievement could not have been attained if it wasn’t for the hard work of staff from Holy Name Medical Center, the Township of Teaneck, our private sector partners, as well as our community members who visited these sites to get vaccinated.

Now that vaccine supply has caught up with demand, getting vaccinated is easier than ever. In areas where mass vaccination sites are closing, there will still be multiple vaccine providers nearby that will continue to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. People can visit the New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub https://covid19.nj.gov/ for help finding vaccination sites in your area.

Holy Name Medical Center, located at 718 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, New Jersey, will continue to provide first and second doses of the vaccine at the hospital facility after June 27, 2021. Anyone unvaccinated can register for the first dose of the vaccine by visiting https://vaccine.holyname.org/covid-vaccine. Continue reading “Rodda Center POD to Close on June 27th”

Why the cluck can’t I own a chicken?

Keith Kaplan / / Health, Ordinances, Teaneck

People like raising chickens.  They give delicious eggs and people that raise them say that it’s a clean sustainable pet/food source that should be available in Teaneck.

There’s also a local ordinance prohibiting it:

Sec. 6-5: Keeping of pigs, horses and certain other animals prohibited.

[R.O. 1951, ch. 6, § 4; Ord. No. 3411, 12-20-1994, § 1.]
No person shall keep or allow to be kept in any building or premises, or on any lot of ground of which he may be the owner, tenant, lessee or occupier, any pigs, horses, mules, cows, pigeons or poultry of any age or description.
Repeal movements have come and gone since the rule was created in 1927.  There’s one happening now.

It even has a Facebook Group: Keep Chickens Teaneck

So what’s the deal with chickens and this ban?

The practice of owning chickens in town was regulated in the ’20s as population density turned Teaneck from farmland to residential1. It was formally banned anywhere a decade later in 1937.
(census estimates show the population changing from 4,192 in 1920 to 16,513 in 1930 and then to 25,275 in 1940)
This ordinance is one of the oldest the municipality has.
Ordinance 412 appeared in July 1927

Continue reading “Why the cluck can’t I own a chicken?”

Community Choice Energy Aggregation: Coming soon?

Keith Kaplan / / Health, Ordinances, Teaneck

NJ is part of the PJM interchange for electricity.  PJM has a horrible history of meeting clean energy goals set by the State and consequently, instead of generating clean energy, providers like PSE&G have met quotas by purchasing certificates from power plants in other areas that count towards the clean energy mandate.

The CCA program extends the ability to purchase those certificates (called RECs or Renewable Energy Credits) from third-party electric suppliers.

Some towns seem to have had a rocky start, unable to find bids, some found initial bids, but couldn’t find renewals.  The information (pro and con) is laid out below.

My hope is that people will share and read about the program to have an informed discussion at our subsequent council meetings.

– Keith Kaplan

What is Community Choice Energy Aggregation?

The general concept behind the program is to allow an entire County / Town(s), to use their collective purchasing power to decrease electric rate prices for clean energy supply.  In theory, if you can make clean energy less costly through aggregation, everyone can replace dirty energy sources while spending the same amount they paid through PSE&G (or at a small discount).

The legal basis for the program can be found in the NJ legislature’s  Government Energy Aggregation (“GEA”) Act of 20031.  It permits counties and municipalities to create an ordinance (or resolution) to establish an “Aggregation Program”.

Does Air Become Cleaner?

It does…. somewhere.  But only if the Municipality can find a bid. Continue reading “Community Choice Energy Aggregation: Coming soon?”

IMPORTANT: COVID Vaccine Appointment Updates

Keith Kaplan / / Health, Teaneck

 

Dear Colleagues,

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holy Name has worked tirelessly to provide our patients and the community at-large with the best and most effective treatment possible. More than that, our work, in the fight against this virus has always been driven by our commitment to compassion, empathy and full transparency. As challenges arose during the course of the past year, we stood firmly as a hospital and as a community leader to meet them.

Today, a new challenge has arisen. Unfortunately, due to weather-related issues across the United States, and beyond anyone’s control, shipments of critically important vaccines earmarked for our hospital, have been effectively grounded in different parts of the country. These issues, coupled with the latest storm affecting our own region, have combined to create a great deal of uncertainty around when additional shipments of vaccines will arrive.

As a result, we have had to postpone many vaccination appointments. I truly apologize for the current situation and would like to assure you all that we are doing everything in our power to make sure these much-needed vaccine doses arrive as quickly as possible.

All individuals with appointments have been notified directly already and should continue to monitor their emails and texts for additional, specific, updates related directly to their appointments. I would also like to reassure those who have had their second-dose appointments delayed, that we are confident those rescheduled appointments will be conducted within an appropriate and acceptable timeframe — in-line with the CDC’s guidance.

As the President and CEO of Holy Name Medical Center, and as a member of this community, I fully understand and appreciate your collective and personal frustration with these delays and the current situation we all find ourselves in. You have all put your trust and faith in us. We are committed to making sure that trust has not been misplaced.

Michael Maron
President & CEO

Township Manager Announces Partnership with Holy Name for Vaccinations

Keith Kaplan / / Health, Safety, Teaneck

Link to sign up for the Rodda Center location:  https://rodda.holyname.org/COVID19VAC

Update (1/20/2021):

Earlier today, a fiber optic cable belonging to OPTIMUM was damaged interrupting Internet services in many municipalities, including Teaneck. The outage map now indicates most of Teaneck is back online.

Because of the disruption of Internet services, the link to register for the COVID-19 vaccine was not in service. The link should be active by noon tomorrow (Thursday) for one thousand appointments of the MODERNA vaccine.

All vaccinations will take place on Friday, January 22nd only. Appointments will be available to Teaneck residents with Phase 1A eligibility.

Thank you,

Contact Information:
Dean Kazinci
Manager’s Office
201-837-1600
dkazinci@teanecknj.gov

Update (1/18/2021):

Please note that we have scheduled all available appointments for our current supply of the PFIZER COVID-19 vaccine that Holy Name Medical Center received from State of New Jersey. The vaccine was given to 570 residents today.

Due to the lack of available vaccine, the Richard Rodda Center Vaccination Site will be closed on Tuesday, January 19th. Holy Name Medical Center is awaiting delivery of additional trays of the vaccine which should arrive mid week.

I will release additional information when it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.

Contact Information:
Dean Kazinci
Manager’s Office
201-837-1600
dkazinci@teanecknj.gov

This is Township Manager Dean Kazinci with an important update on the Teaneck COVID-19 point of distribution at the Richard Rodda Center:

The public link to register for the COVID-19 vaccination is now open. There are a limited number of vaccinations available. Appointments listed on the link reflect the number of doses currently available.

Please visit rodda.holyname.org to register and make your appointment now. When all appointments are filled, the link will reflect that information. As additional doses of the vaccination are received by Holy Name Medical Center, the link will reactivate for appointments based on the number of available doses.

Please continue to monitor www.teanecknj.gov and www.holyname.org/covid19/ for updated information.

Thank you,

Dean Kazinci
Township Manager
Contact Information:
Dean Kazinci
Manager’s Office
201-837-1600
dkazinci@teanecknj.gov

Please listen below for a message from Township Manager Dean Kazinci

(this message went out as a reverse-911 yesterday, January 13, 2021)

 

Image may contain: one or more people and people standing, text that says 'STATION'Image may contain: one or more people and people on stage

Because that’s the rule: Dog Licensing and early re-vaccination

Keith Kaplan / / Health, Ordinances, Safety, Teaneck

Recently, a question was raised by a resident about the need to re-vaccinate a dog in order to get an annual license from Teaneck.  I’ve looked into the issue.  As with most things in NJ, it’s…. complicated.  I’ll break down the relevant rules below and discuss some changes that I’ll be suggesting.

Issue:

  • July 2020: You get a new dog
  • October 2020: You get your dog vaccinated for Rabies (expires one year later in October 2021)
  • January 2021: You attempt to register your dog in Teaneck

 

This is a common scenario that many people have faced, only to find a rejection notice.  Residents are being told to re-vaccinate for rabies.  It’s confusing to most dog owners, because the vaccine is good for a year and they received it only 62 days ago.

Why can’t a dog get registered and then get a booster before the October vaccination expires? Continue reading “Because that’s the rule: Dog Licensing and early re-vaccination”