MUNICIPAL OFFICES & FACILITIES
Municipal Offices
– Physical public access to all municipal offices (Town Hall, Fire Prevention (6015 Tyler Place), WNY Parking Utility (224-60th Street), Department of Public Works (6201 Broadway), and the West New York Public Library (425-60th Street)) will be suspended through at least Sunday, March 22, 2020. On Saturday, March 21, 2020 the administration will make a subsequent determination as to public access.
– All offices will be open and Municipal Staff will be available to the public during the hours of 9:00AM to 4:00PM to answer questions and concerns from the public via telephone and email only. No in office visitation will be permitted for the duration of this protocol and/or extension of such as noted above.
– Tax Payments – The Main entrance to Town Hall will be opened weekdays from 9:00AM to 4:00PM for access to the Tax Collector Drop Off Box. Residents are encouraged to make their payments online using the “Online Tax Payment” link by visiting this website – http://www.westnewyorknj.org/Departments/taxcollector
– Police Records – routine reports can be requested via phone at 201.295.5023 and they will be emailed, faxed, or mailed to you at the location you note during the time of your call. Accident reports can be requested online at http://www.crashdocs.org/ at any time.
– Municipal Court – Per guidance from the State of New Jersey Court system, the Town of West New York Municipal Court has been cancelled from Monday, March 16, 2020 through Friday, March 27, 2020.
Persons who are scheduled to appear before the court to contest a traffic or parking ticket, or minor local ordinance violation are advised that they should not appear and should await notice of a new court date. Municipal Court office will remain open (and filings and payments will continue to be accepted) but residents are strongly urged to pay any violations via the Municipal Court online payment system at NJMCDirect.com.
Building Department, Fire Prevention, Health Department, & Office of the Clerk
– Building Department – Permit application drop off and pick up will be available by appointment only.
Please call (201).295.5170 for more information.
Jonathan Castañeda, Municipal Administrator
phone. (201).295.5119
fax. (201).861.2797
email. jcastaneda@westnewyorknj.org
– Code Enforcement –
The Town will be erring on the side of caution and the inspectors will be using discretion when entering dwellings and interacting with individuals. Only essential contractors, homeowners, or authorized representatives necessary for the completion of any inspection shall be on site during such inspection in an effort to limit unnecessary contact.
– Fire Prevention – all non-essential inspections by the Fire Prevention Bureau are suspended through March 22, 2020.
– Residential Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, and Fire Extinguisher inspections for resale and rental of residential dwellings for Closings scheduled on or after April 2 will not be scheduled until at least March 30, 2020. Any Residential Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, and Fire Extinguisher inspections for resale and rental of residential dwellings for Closings scheduled before April 2 will occur, however; only one realtor, homeowner, or authorized representative shall be on site during such inspection in an effort to limit unnecessary contact. More information can be provided by calling 201.295.5220
Office of the Clerk
– Access to the Office of the Clerk is restricted, but residents are advised that most
transactions involving the Clerks office can be done via phone 201.295.5090 or email
townclerk@westnewyorknj.org.
West New York Public Library
– Physical public access to the West New York Public Library will also be suspended through at least Sunday, March 22, 2020. On Saturday, March 21, 2020 the administration will make a subsequent determination as to public access.
– Due dates for materials will be pushed to March 30, 2020 and holds will be suspended. Please keep materials at home and do not return items in the book drop until the Library reopens.
– Library staff will be available for questions via telephone only at 201.295.5135.
Garbage & Recycling
– Curbside garbage and recycling will operate on a normal schedule.
– Residents are advised to not put out large bulk items until further notice, should it be absolutely necessary
– call 201.295.5230 to schedule pickup. Violations may incur fines.
Parks
– All Parks will remain open under the normal schedule and will be sanitized every three (3) hours by municipal staff.
Parking Utility
– Physical public access to the Parking Utility Office will be limited.
– Please make every attempt to call the Parking Utility at 201.295.1575 ahead of your visit to find the most up to date information.
– Residents are advised that there will be a grace period in residential parking permits expiring this Month,
if your permit expires in March you will have until April 15, 2020 to renew your residential parking permit.
West New York Public Schools
The West New York School District will be closing for a week-as of Monday, March 16, 2020, until Friday, March 20, 2020, for all students as a precautionary measure to ensure the health and safety of everyone. In order to ensure student nutrition, the District will provide breakfast (8AM-9:30AM) and lunch (11AM-1:30PM), Monday through Friday, for all students. All students may pick up their meal at any site listed below:
– West New York Middle School (201 57th Street)
– Robert Menendez Elementary School (600 55th Street, Front Door)
– Public School # 1 (6129 Madison Street Outside of Annex Doors)
– Public School # 2 (5200 Broadway, Broadway Entrance)
– Albio Sires Elementary School (6300 Palisade Avenue, Front of Building)
– Students Attending Early Childhood School, Public School Annex #4, Public School #5, Harry L. Bain, and Memorial High School can visit any site listed above.
More information can be found at the website of the West New York School District by visiting http://www.wnyschools.net/district/default.asp
All Municipal Public Programming (Activities and Events) have been postponed including:
– All Senior Citizen Events Programming (Excluding Senior Nutrition Center, Daily Supermarket Runs, and Medical Appointments (as needed via appointment with Senior Transportation Coordinator)
– All Cultural Affairs Events & Programming
– All Recreation Department Activities & Programming
– All Library Activities & Programming
All information provided is subject to change as this pandemic evolves. Residents are advised to monitor the Town’s website and social media for updates. While we realize that changing normal routines, cancelling events, and not seeing friends can be disruptive and upsetting, we are taking the Center for Disease Control (the “CDC”), recommendations very seriously and again urge you to do the same.
The Town understands the public’s concerns about COVID-19 and the Health Department is working closely with the NJDOH and the CDC to monitor and respond to the situation. The Town further continues to urge residents and is now requiring municipal employees to continue exercising common sense measures provided by the Health Department and noted in the following, which include:
– Washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze
– Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
– Covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, and remember to throw the tissue into the trash
– Avoiding close contact with sick people
– Staying home if you are sick
The CDC has identified older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung, or kidney disease are at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness. According to the CDC, early data suggest older people are twice as likely to have serious COVID-19 illness. That is why the CDC recommends that people at higher risk follow the measures cited below:
– Stay at home as much as possible
– Stock up on supplies, food, and prescriptions.
– Take everyday precautions to keep space between yourself and others.
o When you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact, and wash your hands often.
o Avoid crowds as much as possible.
o Avoid cruise travel and non-essential air travel.
We are committed to staying connected to our older residents during this health emergency and have taken the steps to make regular calls to our most vulnerable seniors at home. We will also stay in contact with regular updates via phone or email. We may need volunteers to provide remote assistance to our seniors. If you are interested in helping, please contact our Office of the Mayor at 201.295.5100.
Per the CDC, residents are advised to seek advice via telephone from a healthcare provider if you have symptoms of cough, fever, and/or shortness of breath or have traveled to/from an area with ongoing community level transmission of COVID-19 to determine whether a medical evaluation is needed. Only a medical professional can send a patient for testing and make a determination as to the diagnosis of an individual.
Symptoms to monitor include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. If you experience any symptoms, please contact your medical care provider.
We strongly urge all residents to take all necessary precautions to prevent the community spread of COVID-19.
We cannot over emphasize the importance of limiting social contact while the Town and the School District restrictions are in place. Taking the necessary precautions and remaining mindful of restricting person-to-person contact should be foremost in our day-to-day lives for the time being.
The Department of Health continues to diligently work with the State Health Department to ensure that Town residents are safe. Our Emergency Medical Services and Office of Emergency Management are also working with State counterparts to ensure we have immediate access to resources should the need arise.
The State Department of Health has set up a 24-Hour Hotline for the community which we can and should share with everyone we know; that number is 1-800-222-1222. The State Department of Health has also developed a dedicated link to their website as follows: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_resources.shtml.
PSE&G has notified the Town that in the interest of protecting public health, PSE&G is temporarily suspending shut offs of electric or gas service to residential customers for non-payment.
Thank you for your attention, should you have additional questions, kindly contact the Department of Health at 201.295.5070.