Council Remembers Volunteer Ambulance Squad Leader Bob Hayes, Advances ADA Ramp Grant
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The council opened with a heartfelt tribute to longtime resident Bob Hayes, a volunteer with the Glen Ridge Volunteer Ambulance Squad since 1988, who had recently died; multiple councilors recalled his decades training young drivers, later becoming a senior transport driver, and his fundraising role in securing a new ambulance rig, along with his and his wife Joan's work supporting the library expansion and auditorium projects. Separately, a resident whose home had suffered a gas-related explosion thanked the council for prioritizing repair work in the area, which officials indicated should be completed by the end of the year.
The council held the second of two required public hearings on its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application, requesting $50,000 from Essex County (up from the usual roughly $40,000) to fund ADA-compliant curb ramps paired with the borough's DOT-funded paving program, and later adopted a resolution (153-22) formally submitting that application as its top county funding priority. Members also approved the purchase of two new Public Works vehicles — a 2023 Ford F-250 XL truck ($63,270) and a Ford Transit Connect van ($38,040) from a Morristown dealer — to replace a 2006 truck with 95,000 miles and a 2007 van with 142,000 miles, citing ongoing supply-chain delays on vehicle orders. All recorded votes were unanimous with the full council present.
Councilors and the administrator also celebrated a record turnout for the annual Ashenfelter race, crediting Public Works, police, the Montclair Fire Department, and the Essex County Sheriff's Office for smooth logistics. During public comment, Phil Johnson criticized a lack of maintenance on the borough's gas lamps and asked whether CDBG funds could be used to install crosswalk signage at three Ridgewood Avenue locations that had received handicap ramps and painted crosswalks but no accompanying signs; officials said they would ask the county again to install the signage, noting the borough cannot unilaterally place signs in the county right-of-way.
What to watch
- Gas line repair work near the affected Baldwin Street-area home expected to be completed by year's end
- $50,000 CDBG grant application for ADA ramps pending Essex County approval
- Continued borough requests to Essex County for crosswalk signage at three Ridgewood Avenue locations
- Delivery of the newly purchased Public Works truck and van