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.