Montclair Recovers From Storm; Arts Community Takes A Hit

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Montclair arts community took a painful hit after a torrential downpour dumped several inches of rain on the area last weekend.

In Montclair, several locations including Bloomfield Avenue saw heavy flooding. On Sunday, the Montclair Film Festival wrote:

"Like so many of our friends & neighbors, we suffered damage to our Cinema & Education Center on Bloomfield Ave from severe flooding during yesterday's storms. We are assessing the damage & will update you soon. All best thoughts to those in our community cleaning up today."

The rainy weather also cancelled the much-awaited Montclair Jazz Festival, organizers reported.

The flash flooding that hit Montclair and the greater Essex County area on August 11 took its toll at Studio Players, the local nonprofit theater group wrote.

"Though our performance space, seating, and lobby are well above ground, our furniture and prop storage, scenic shop, and actor's prep room and heating system are all below ground. The flood waters entered the building via sloping driveway that hasn't been used in over two decades and forced open what had once been a garage door that had been walled up. It also forced open an adjacent metal, entrance door. Judging by the high water mark left on filing cabinets where historical records and photos are stored( now a total loss), the water reached a height of over four feet. We are extremely lucky that no one was in the facility at the time, and no one was injured. We have not seen water enter the building on this level since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, and even then, the water didn't reach this level. It isn't hyperbole to state that the damage is massive.” (Read the full story here)

FLOOD-RELATED WASTE PICKUP

As the town rebounds from local flooding and storm damage, municipal officials will conduct a special, flood-related bulk waste pickup. Following the weekend storm, which wreaked havoc across Essex County, the Montclair Department of Community Services (DCS) released the following advisory about the special cleanup effort:

“The DCS will collect bulk waste, along with flood-related bulk waste in Section 1 this Wednesday, August 15. The DCS will also have a special collection of flood-related bulk waste (Sections 1 and 2) at the curb on Saturday, August 18. Residents may also bring flood-related bulk waste items to the DCS yard at 219 North Fullerton Avenue on Wednesday, August 15 and Friday, August 17 between the hours of 2 to 4 p.m.”

Vegetative waste will not be accepted, town officials emphasized.

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