First Night Montclair 2011 Set To Go Forward

Despite the elimination of municipal funding, First Night 2011 will indeed go forward after all, thanks to an influx of public support and funding, council members said at a meeting Tuesday night.

"Township dollars will not be spent on this," Mayor Jerry Fried said. "I'm confident this money will come in and I'm hoping the public will come forward as well.

[Council members] are "unified in not wanting to spend Township money on this," he said.

Fried said about $20,000 already has been raised—mostly through donations—with another $10,000 or so needed.

He's hoping the creation of a "Friends of First Night" will help draw donations of $100 or more from residents.

In June, the Township laid off Eileen Sheehan, Montclair's cultural affairs coordinator and the organizer of the annual First Night and July 4th events. The July 4th celebration went forward with the help of a $10,000 grant from the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

Now, council members hope the First Night event will go ahead in a similar fashion.

Last year, First Night Montclair boasted a range of activities, everything from fireworks to musical performances. Events occurred along Bloomfield Avenue and in different venues on side streets off Bloomfield Avenue, starting at 5 p.m. on December 31.

Also on Tuesday night:

—Township Manager Marc Dashield said he still plans to present the expenditures for the 2011 budget to the council by January 15. Dashield said he hopes to receive a report from an insurance broker soon so that the Township might determine whether any savings could be realized in this area.

—Councilor Rich Murnick urged residents to shop local these last few weekends before Christmas and "to save on gas money and on parking ... shop Montclair and try to help local businesses." He said he attended the school board meeting Monday night and praised the board's diligence.

—Councilor Cary Africk commended the board of education for doing a good job balancing the pros and cons of various budget cuts. He said that even council members are receiving emails from residents asking that schools not be closed. "We are really  not directly involved in what schools stay open and what schools close," he said.

—Councilor Nick Lewis said that the Bellevue library branch task force met last week to discuss alternate uses for the library. He said the task force should have a preliminary report ready to present to the council within a week and then a few public hearings will be scheduled. "We'd like to have a final report sent to the library board by early in January," he said.

—Councilor Renee Baskerville said she met with Pine Street residents who are concerned that commuters are not utilizing designated parking lots but are instead parking along Pine Street. "We'll be working closely with parking authority advisory groups to come up with suggestions that will hopefully be in the best interests of all," she said.

—Councilor Roger Terry said there will be a shared services task force meeting on Wednesday, December 8 at 205 Claremont Avenue and that the public is invited to attend. "We have a great group of individuals who have come together and they have some good ideas," he said. Terry also paid tribute to the Montclair High School football team.

—Councilor Kathryn Weller-Demming said the Montclair Rotary Club will be hosting a festive Christmas luncheon on Tuesday, Decmeber 21 at noon. She said the cost is $20 a person and that reservations should be made by December 14. "I commend these volunteers for all they do," she said.

—Mayor Jerry Fried reiterated that the 2011 budget year will be "a brutal one" and he commended the Township Manager for the work he's done so far on the budget. He said that the recent South Park Street redesign open house was an excellent event. "I think it's an exciting and important investment in the future," he said. Fried said he, too, attended the school board meeting Monday night and complimented the board on its thoroughness.