Politics & Government

UPDATE: Bernards Officials Urge Children to Trick or Treat Next Saturday

In later advisory, township officials suggest children wait until next Saturday to go Halloweening.

Township officials and the township police strongly suggested that residents and their children wait until next Saturday to trick or treat, even while stressing that they township is not issuing orders to change the date.

"Bernards Township is not in charge of Halloween. It is not a legal holiday," said an advisory issued this afternoon on the township website by Mayor John Malay and Deputy Mayor Mary Pavlini. "It is a set of customs. We cannot 'cancel'Halloween.

"However, the township and our police department STRONGLY urge that you and your family postpone your trick or treating until next Saturday, when the roads will be safer to navigate," the message said.

The officials suggested that alternatively, parents may wish to organize a safe activity such as a party indoors and make sure children are accompanied to and from the event.

"In any event please exercise caution," the advisory said. "We still have wires down, trees hanging over streets and other hazards. We have had very few injuries as a result of the storm. Let’s keep it that way!"

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The number of Bernards homes without power was under 3,000 as of Monday morning, according to an online update from Malay and Pavlini, which also expressed the hope that daylight would speed up repairs.

Even so, Bernards schools are closed on Monday, and Malay said all of the township's evening programs are canceled.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Earlier in the day, in response to a question, Malay said the township does not have the authority to cancel or reschedule Halloween. "It is not even a legal holiday, but a custom. We have urged caution and to do trick or treating in daylight." The later message suggested postponing trick or treating until Saturday.

Bernardsville's department of emergency management had issued an order that trick or treating be delayed until Friday. However, officials in Bernardsville had proclaimed a state of emergency in that borough over the weekend. Bernards Township, including Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner and Lyons, is not under a state of emergency situation.

Many roads are still impacted by downed trees and limbs, said the mayor's morning update, which is also on the Bernards Township Facebook page. Most are open but may have single lanes in some places. The update urged residents to drive slowly and carefully. A complete list of current closures is available both on the website and on the township's Facebook page.

The list of road closures, obstructions and traffic lights out, as of earlier on Monday, includes:

  • Winding Lane from South Finley Avenue closed due to a tree down
  • Peachtree Road and Winding Lane closed due to tree and wires down
  • Woodstone Road and Peachtree Road closed due to wires and a tree down
  • Spencer Road, passable but trees obstructing portions of roadway
  • South Alward Avenue, closed at both the Lake Road and West Oak Street ends due to trees and power lines down
  • South Maple Avenue at Prospect Avenue, southbound lane closed due to low-hanging wire
  • Mout Airy Road closed at Lyons Road and Goltra Drive, due to wires down at Newell Drive
  • Lyons Road and Mount Airy Road, traffic signal is out
  • Lyons Road near Newell Drive, wires are down, but road is open
  • Newell Drive at Mount Airy Road also closed due to tree and wires down
  • Riverside Drive, closed between Meadowview and Castle Way due to wires on the ground
  • Allen Road, closed between Fellowship Road and Somerville Road, due to tree and wires down
  • 24 Tuxford Terrace, tree obstructing half of roadway
  • 19 Crest Drive, low hanging wire obstructing southbound side of road
  • 60 Addison Drive, downed tree obstructing southbound side of road
  • Lake Road near Holmesbrook Road, westbound lane obstructed by tree
  • Lake Road near Culberson Road, eastbound lane obstructed by tree
  • 194 North Maple Avenue, southbound lane obstructed by tree
  • Newell Drive at Mount Airy Road, closed due to tree and wires down
  • Wildwood Drive near Cherry Lane, tree obstructing half of roadway
  • Somerville Road closed at Mountain Road due to closure of Hunter Road in Bridgewater Township
  • Mountain Road at Long Road, tree obstructing three-quarters of roadway
  • Martinsville Road at Mountain Road, traffic light is out
  • Blackburn Road at Cayuga Way, single lane only due to trees down
  • Highland Avenue, single lane in dead-end section due to trees down
  • Lexington Road in from Fairview Drive South, due to wire down
  • Bullion Road, single lane due to trees in roadway
  • Tanglewood Lane at Manchester Drive, closed due to low wire
  • Goltra Drive closed by Harrison Brook Road and Harrison Brook due to tree and wires down near number 78
  • Fieldstone Drive, closed at 126 due to wires and trees down
  • Pine Street closed due to low-hanging wire
  • Penwood Road, single lane between 71 and 64 due to tree and wires down


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