"Old Chilton"

I circled around the building currently known as Crestwood Park, but referred to by many people as “The Old Chilton,” i.e., “He lives in Old Chilton.” Before it became a condominium--and the units I have seen are quite nice--it was the birthplace to many people who live in town, including my wife. I was born at Barnert Hospital in Paterson, as was our friend Madeleine, who was born there a couple days before me. Then a few years later they tore down the building and turned it into a parking lot. At least Old Chilton is still standing! My siblings--two of whom were born at Old Chilton--and I had our share of visits to the Chilton Emergency Room, including the time I ran through a glass door when I was about 4. When the new Chilton--where our kids were born--was built on West Parkway in 1970, the old building remained in use for about another 14 years.

In case you didn't know, Chilton Hospital as it's known now (until recently the name was Chilton Memorial Hospital; they must have figured "Memorial" is superfluous and self-evident) was named after Forrest Chilton III, who died in World War II. It was his father, Dr. Chilton, who donated the land for the building.

The Old Chilton hospitality shop was the place to be for kids from PV School in the afternoon. The first—and probably last—place I had a cherry coke. In addition to bringing a 55-bed facility to the Turnpike in 1954, Chilton also brought the town’s first passenger elevator. Woo hoo! Pequannock Township had hit the big time! What could top that? Well, maybe the town’s first traffic light 10 years later at Jackson Ave and the Turnpike. Today there are 11 traffic lights, if I counted correctly, and I can think of at least eight buildings with elevators. Metropolis!

What a town!

More than 900 families have been left with nothing but what they could take with them in the few hours before the hurricane struck. I started this blog earlier this summer to boast about the great town in which in I grew up. My plan was to write a street-by-street journal of my hometown. I was always proud of my town and its people. As if I had to remind anyone.

I haven't had time to keep up on this blog, as have thousands of people in our town, those who have turned out to prove once again, we live in the greatest town in New Jersey.

We are surviving the rains that continue to taunt our town. But we will continue to help each other.

Soon I will resume my mission to document the neighborhoods of our town. But there is much to be done. There will be many more stories than I expected. Many of them tragic and heartbreaking. Some of them uplifting. This is the greatest disaster in the history of Pequannock Township, and its residents have risen to the challenge.

I am proud to be a small part of it.

Help is right out there

Here's the latest, and why I repeat, we live in the Greatest Town in The World-

PEQUANNOCK COMMUNITY FLOOD RELIEF RESOURCES - UPDATED 9/1/11

• Clean up/demolition: First Reformed Church maintains a list of locations in need of assistance and sends out volunteer crews. Register at Friendship Hall 8am – 8pm or contact Chad: (973)835-1144 x28 or email: chad.dejager@gmail.com.
• Clean up/demolition: Jacksonville Chapel sends out work crews 3 times a day. Contact the Chapel office: (973)334-6657 or email: serve@jacksonville.org or go to their website and fill out a request for assistance: http://lincolnpark.jacksonvillechapel.org/flood/
• Assistance: Call 211 and report your need to office of Emergency & Temporary Assistance.
• Food: First Reformed Church has canned goods at Friendship Hall 8am – 8pm. 
• Lunches: Our Saviour Lutheran Church assembles lunches daily for distribution to flood affected areas as well as Friendship Hall.
• Lunches: The Boys & Girls Club is cooking hamburgers, cheeseburgers & hotdogs and will be distributing in the Village and at Pequannock Ave on Friday 9/2 between Noon and 2pm. Residents affected by the flood can also pick up the food at the Club.
• Dinner: First Reformed Church is working with other organizations to serve buffet-style dinners Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 6-8pm at Friendship Hall.
• Counseling: NewBridge Services has counselors available to talk to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed by the flood. Call (973)316-9333 and say that you are calling regarding the flood. Website on PTSD:www.ncptsd.va.gov.
• Pet Food: Limited amounts of pet food are available at First Reformed Church in Friendship Hall 8am – 8pm.
• Cleaning supplies: Paper towels, garbage bags, bleach and other cleaning supplies are available at First Reformed Church in Friendship Hall from 8am – 8pm.
• Packing supplies: boxes, plastic and paper bags, tape and other packaging supplies are available at First Reformed Church in Friendship Hall.
• Hair Washing: Colorforms Hair Salon in Pequannock is offering a free shampoo & conditioner to all without power. Please feel free to stop by the salon anytime this week. No need to be a customer, everybody is welcome. (973)633-9882.
• Showers: Spa 23 is supporting the community by inviting those affected by the flooding free use of their club through the end of September. Just show ID. (973)839-8823 and www.spa23.com.
• Showers: NY Sports Clubs are opening their doors to hurricane Irene victims allowing full use of facilities through September 15. Free for local residents 18 or older. Must show a photo ID. In Butler on Rt. 23 (973)838-1140.
• Lime: Pequannock residents can pick up lime at the DPW garage on Alexander Ave from 7am – 8pm.
• Gas Restart: To have gas turned back on, contact PSE&G (800)436-7734 or JCP&L (800)662-3115.
• FEMA: Consolidated website to apply for assistance:www.disasterassistance.gov or by phone: 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362).
• Tetanus Vaccine: Pequannock Twp. Is providing a Tdap vaccination free of charge for residents affected by flooding. Call for appointment: (973)835-5700 x 127.
• Clothing: Free clothing is available at Grace Chapel, next door to Friendship Hall.
• Laundry: Volunteers are standing by to do laundry drop off items in need of cleaning at Friendship Hall.
• Housing Rentals: A listing of available rentals is posted in the lobby at Friendship Hall. Stop by for information.
• Furniture: Items of furniture have been donated please see the bulletin board in Friendship Hall for information.

Pequannock Township: The Greatest Town in the World

I live in the greatest community in the world. I see that everywhere. Our town, as well as neighboring towns, is facing the greatest challenge in its history. Not only did this flood exceed the crest of 1984, its damage is magnified by the things have changed.

But what has not changed in Pequannock Township is the dedication of the people offering their help, their  resources and their homes to those who have lost everything in this flood. I'm sure there are countless towns like Pequannock across our country, but this happens to be my town, where I grew up, and I am profoundly proud of it.

The center of the universe at the moment is the First Reformed Church. There they are coordinating the efforts of many organizations to make sure people have a place to eat, rest and simply feel human for at least a few minutes. They need help and stuff. But if you have cash, that helps them to buy the stuff they need.

Here are some websites if you need help or want to help

If You Need Help After the Flood
They offer lunch, dinner, cleaning supplies, childcare, pumping, etc.

The town Website has lots of information
Currently residents are asked to restrict water usage to maintain the integrity of the system. Drinking water is unaffected

Photos Chief Brian Spring took from the air
Hearbreaking

I am old enough to remember the flood of 1968, and was in the middle of the flood of '84. The current disaster--and that's what it is--will challenge all of us. Thousands of people need to rebuild their lives, and it will continue long after the waters recede.

The people of Pequannock Township will rise to the moment, as they always do, and they will do it quietly, without the need for recognition or attention. I am proud to be a member of this community.

I Gotta Get Outta This Place

I rode past the high school then hung a left onto Roome Ave. I've found that many people can't decide how that street is pronounced. Some say "Rome," as in "When in...," while others say "Room" as in "Go to your..." I defer to the people I know who live on the street, which includes John Bunomo, who almost had a stroke a couple years ago when he opened my refrigerator and saw a green can of Kraft grated cheese. Then I rode over to Van Saun and Van Ness--I guess the Dutch had some influence around here. Ran into a cul de sac on Van Ness. Made a left onto Jocelyn Place. Another dead end. Went back on Jocelyn and turned onto Judith Court. The term "Court" should have been my clue. Another No Outlet. One of these streets has to come out on West End Ave. I passed some other bike riders. One looked like he'd been going around in circles here since 1975.

Finally I retraced my route in and came out on Sunset. I wondered if others were still back there who needed rescue.

Welcome!

This is from my Aug. 17 column:

Joe's Pequannock Township



Apparently I’m not the only one with Mountain Avenue memories. The column I wrote a couple weeks ago reminiscing about my first journey to the summit of that Pequannock Township road resulted as many responses as anything I’ve ever written. (The PTHS Class of ’77 was well-represented!)

We all seem to remember The Road, and the personal accomplishment it was to reach the top as a 10-year-old. Even people who did not grow up in town were reminded of their own version of Mountain Avenue. It seems every town in America has a road steeped in mythology and local lore.

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been riding my bike a lot more lately after having been idled for several years by a defective heart valve. The mechanical aortic valve I received at New York Presbyterian Hospital last year has put me back in the saddle, so to speak, and just last week, Dr. Bill Borden, the World’s Greatest Cardiologist, removed any remaining physical restrictions.

I used to ride a lot, sometimes a hundred miles in a day. (Cyclists call that a “Century.”) As I’ve been riding more lately, I’ve been reminded of how the world looks when you’re not passing by it in a car at 60 miles per hour.

When people of my generation went someplace as kids, we usually walked or rode our bikes. And we saw and learned so much more about our surroundings. In our relatively unstructured youths, most of our activities were planned ourselves, and we got where we were going on our own for the most part.

There’s a lot to be missed when most of the exposure to your town is experienced through the tinted windows of the minivan on the way between soccer practice and music lessons.

As I’ve ridden around town this summer I’ve been realizing that. So I set a goal for myself. There are 67 miles of road in Pequannock Township, and I am going to ride them all.

I’m going to take my time, look around, and keep a blog about it. The blog can be found at joespequannocktownship.blogspot.com.

I’ve written plenty of those “On the Road” type articles from other places. But there are lots of interesting people and places right here in our hometown. Sixty-seven miles of them.

Already more than a few people have said they want to join me on the road when they can. Contact me on the blog if you’d like to join as well. And you don’t have to ride a bike. Please feel free to tell me about interesting or offbeat facts about your neighborhood.

Growing up in this town, I’ve seen it evolve and develop. There have been triumphs and tragedies, and in both, the best of people. Seeing my hometown up close again lately has brought back many of those memories, and I hope to share them on my blog.

That’s joespequannocktownship.blogspot.com. I look forward to your comments and your own memories.