The Department of Public Works started 1999 with 68 employees and had 68 employees by the end of the year. We also had, approximately 25 summer temporaries employed to help with lawn work, garden debris pick ups and other Department functions. The Department also made use of labor from the Sheriffs Department, known as, "Labor Assistance Program", workfare persons, people working on community service hours, high school seniors doing Senior Service projects in the spring before graduation, Earth Day volunteers, and County "PIC" workers.

Major equipment purchased with 1999 funds include: 2 - 5 yard dump trucks with spreaders and plows and 1 - 1 ton mason dump truck. The following major projects were undertaken by outside contractors, consultants, and our own DPW forces:

1. Road Resurfacing of twenty-seven streets through-out the Township.

2. Road Resurfacing of the easterly most portion of West Englewood Ave. with State Aid funds.

3. Safety pruning of street trees in the Northwest section of the Township.

4. The renovation of the old gym at the Richard Rodda Community Center was completed, including new lighting, interior painting, new bleachers and renovation of the restrooms.

5. A contract was awarded for approximately 1200 lineal feet of curb replacement on various streets.

6. Approximately 227 tons of patching material was placed in potholes throughout the Township.

7. 250 Shade Trees were planted in the Fall of 1999, with an additional 115 to be planted in the Spring of 2000 under the 1999 contract.

8. The rebuilding of Argonne Park Tennis Courts was completed during the Summer of 1999.

9. A contract was awarded for the Professional Architectural services in connection with the New DPW Complex.

10. The Drainage Improvement Project for Myron Ct. was completed.

11. The 1998 Community Development funded project for the reconstruction of Fairview Ave. was completed.

12. A contract was awarded for the renovation of the 90 foot baseball field in Votee Park. Work is scheduled to start in Spring of 2000.

13. The contract for the closure of the heating fuel oil underground storage tanks at the Library and the Fire Headquarters building was completed.

14. The design for the Julia St. and Rt. #4 exit ramp closing was completed with anticipated construction in 2000.

15. The design for the 1999 Community Development funded project for the resurfacing of Circle Driveway, was completed. Bids to be received in 2000.

16. A contract was awarded for the recycling of garden debris effective thru December of 2004. The Garage forces performed preventive maintenance and repairs on 39 Police vehicles, 3 Auxiliary Police vehicles, 19 vehicles and 7 pieces of auxiliary equipment for the Fire Department, and 61 Public Works vehicles. In addition, they maintained 94 pieces of Public Works Auxiliary equipment, 3 standby generators, 1 Recreation Department van, and 1 van for disabled senior citizens.

Department forces continued park maintenance, dead tree removals, garden debris pickup, leaf pickup, recycling pickup, pothole patching, public buildings maintenance, and the myriad of other tasks required to keep the physical features of the Community looking healthy and prosperous.

The Department of Public Works always thanks the public for their help in reporting potholes and dead trees.

The following are totals of recycled materials for 1999:

The Sewer Division: handles the routine maintenance and repair of nearly 170 miles of sanitary and storm sewers and more than 5,700 manholes, catch basins, culverts, and head walls. To report a sewer backup, call the DPW (837-4842) weekdays from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. or call Police Headquarters (837-2600) at other times including holidays and weekends.

The Garage Division: is in charge of preventive maintenance and repair of municipally-owned vehicles and other mechanical equipment used by the DPW, Police, Fire and Recreation Departments.

The Park and Tree Division: maintains the upkeep of 23 parks totaling 225 acres, as well as nearly 200 Township-owned lots, one in-ground swimming pool and two above-ground swimming pools. It is responsible for the planting, removal and care of more than 20,000 trees along public streets, as well as trees, shrubs and flowers in municipal parks and on public grounds.  In order to protect our abundant natural resource of trees, which are such an asset to the Township, an ordinance has been adopted, more clearly defining the permits that may be issued and responsibilities of the Township officials with regard to shade tree removal, trimming and care. If you contemplate any tree work or removal on a Township owned tree in front of your house, please consult the ordinance for the procedures that must be followed.

The Maintenance Division: is responsible for maintaining public facifities.  These include the lighting in all municipal parking lots and all athletic fields (basketball, tennis and baseball); all bus stop shelters; the fire alarm systems in all municipal buildings; the water lines at the municipal greenhouse and ballfields, as well as all water fountains in parks; all fire extinguishers; the fencing for Little League diamonds, playground games; parking lot meters; all park benches; the heating, air-conditioning and plumbing systems, and meters in all municipal buildings. The division is also responsible for shoveling snow from the walks of all public buildings; setting up the bandshell for the Recreation Department sponsored summer concert series and setting up the Council Chambers for Council meetings, various boards and Municipal Court sessions. The division installs and removes holiday decorations and lights in the business districts for the Chamber of Commerce, picks up surplus goods for distribution to the needy by the Health Department and operates a daily mail shuttle among the municipal buildings.

Street Sweeping: Streets are swept daily in the business districts. Streets are swept on a once-a week schedule in the residential district, interrupted only by the mammoth task of leaf collection (roughly from October 1st thru mid-December). During the leaf pickup period residential streets are swept on a schedule dictated by the accumulation of leaves. The effectiveness of the street sweeping program depends solely upon the cooperation of the residents.

The sweeping machines cannot get to curbside if vehicles are parked in the street on sweeping day. To do your part, make certain your vehicles are off the street on street sweeping day, which is determined by where you live as noted in the following schedule:

Monday: South of Route 4 and west of the railroad, south of Cedar Lane and west of Queen Anne Road.

Tuesday: East of Queen Anne Road and south of Cedar Lane.

Wednesday: East of the railroad, north of Cedar Lane to Genessee Avenue/Bogert Street/West Englewood Avenue.

Thursday: North of Genessee Avenue/Bogert Street West Englewood Avenue to the Bergenfield line, and east of Sussex Road to the Englewood line.

Friday: North of Route 4 and west of the railroad, south of West Englewood Avenue and west of Sussex Road to the Bergenfield and New Milford boundaries and to the Hackensack River.

NOTE: If you live on the street which is a boundary line between districts, imagine that the line is down the center of the street to determine the district you live in.

Recycling:  In 1987, the State of New Jersey made recycling mandatory in every municipality of the State. We are currently striving to recycle 60% of our waste. Teaneck has undertaken an ambitious recycling program to comply with this requirement. Each December, the Township prepares and mails a recycling calendar homes to residents.  The calendar includes the types of recyclable materials picked up curbside and accepted at the Recycling Depot, the dates of the various curbside collections, the rules and regulations for the various types of recyclables, plus any changes that have occurred since the last calendar was published. When you receive your calendar, place it on your refrigerator or whatever serves as a bulletin board to remind you when pickups are made. Copies of the calendar are available at the Municipal Building.  The Recycling Depot is located at the DPW yard on River Road. It is open Thursday through Monday from 7:00 A.M. to 2:45 P.M. (closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and holidays). See your recycling calendar for exact dates. Residents are encouraged to bring recycling material to the Depot including:

1 .Newspapers

2. Mixed paper

3. Cardboard

4. Commingled recycling

5. Auto and household batteries

6. Garden debris

There are also used clothing bins provided by various groups.

Garden Debris consists of vegetative waste, grass clippings, leaves, branches, plant material, etc. Garden debris is collected curbside weekly, between the months of April and October. During the other months of the year, there is limited pick up. All of the scheduled days are listed in the recycling calendar or you may call the Recycling Hotline (837-4841) for information regarding pick up. All items must be at the curb no later than 7 A.M. on the day of collection, and no earlier than 6 P.M. of the preceding evening.

Grass, leaves, small plant material must be in either non-disposable containers which will be emptied and left at the curb, or biodegradable paper bags, (NO PLASTIC BAGS PLEASE), since the company which recycles the material will not accept it in plastic bags. Each container shall weigh no more than 50 pounds. Branches and shrubs must be cut into lengths not greater than 4 feet, and tied into bundles weighing less than 50 pounds each. Material not properly contained or mixed with garbage or recycling materials will not be picked up. Garden debris can also be brought to the Depot and need not be containerized or tied but must not be left in plastic bags at the Depot. See the Depot Workers for instruction on which container the recyclable materials must be disposed in.

Leaves, which are treated as garden debris during most of the year, become a real problem during October through December.  There are more than 100,000 trees on public and private property within the Township's borders. Leaf removal, in the autumn, is a monumental project that strains the resources of the DPW. During the period of leaf drop, from about October 1st. to mid-December (see your recycling calendar), residents are permitted to rake leaves, loose grass, and small plants into the roadway at curbside.

The DPW collects leaves daily during this period, but the volume is so great and the weather so unpredictable, that the leaf pickup can not be scheduled. Please be patient if we do not get to your street as quickly as you would like. Be careful to only place leaves, grass cuttings, and small plant material in the leaf piles in the street. Do not place logs, branches, stones, or large plant material in the street during the leaf collection period, as they are not suitable for composting and could damage the street cleaning equipment.

CAUTIONARY ADVISE: Children love to play in leaf piles, and wet leaves may cause a car to skid. Cars with catalytic converters should not be parked over the piles under any circumstances. After the ignition is shut off, the converter is still hot enough to ignite leaves or grass. Even older model cars without converters have caught fire when parked over leaves.

Snow Plowing: Fortunately, we have not experienced any major snowfall accumulation during the past few winters. However, even a light snow storm or freezing rain requires putting employees and equipment on our roads for the spreading of salt to keep the roads safe and passable for our residents.

The Township Council adopted an ordinance, in 1996, which makes it illegal to park on any street when the street is snow covered. Some parts of 18 streets are exempt from this law because there is not enough off-street parking at some multi-family dwellings, and elsewhere. These areas are clearly marked with signs so confusion does not occur as to which streets can be used for parking during snow emergencies.

This means that whenever enough snow has fallen to require plowing of the public streets in Teaneck, parking is not permitted on any public streets except in the 18 posted areas. This parking prohibition remains in effect until the snow has stopped and the streets have been plowed enough that parking on them will not block either the normal flow of traffic or snow removal work. The term "snow" includes snow, sleet, hail and/or ice.

When a snow emergency is in effect, you must move your vehicles off of all Township streets unless they are in one of the posted areas. If you can not move your vehicle or comply with the law, call the Police Department at 837-2600 to tell them about your problem.

For additional off street parking, residents are encouraged to use any of the municipal parking lots. Beginning (6) hours before the snow fall is predicted to start, and until (24) hours after the snow fall has stopped, all hourly limits and meter fees in Township lots are waived. The locations of the Municipal parking lots are as follows:

1. East side of Teaneck Road off Beveridge Street.

2. West side of Teaneck Road at Orchard Street.

3. West side of Teaneck Road between Church and Bogert Streets.

4. North side of State Street opposite Lozier Place.

5. North side of State Street west of Terrace Circle.

6. Behind stores on west side of Queen Anne Road north of West Englewood Avenue.

7. West of Queen Anne Road north of Court-Street.

8. North end of Votee Park, south of Court Street.

9. North of Cedar Lane at Garrison Avenue and Beverly Road.

10.South of Cedar Lane between American Legion Drive and Chestnut Avenue.

11.Northwest corner of Cedar Lane and Elm Avenue.

12.Southeast corner of Beverly Road and River Road.

13.South side of Beverly Road opposite Williams Avenue.

14.East side of River Road in Phelps Park.

15.Southeast corner of DeGraw Avenue and Queen Anne Road.

16.South end of Votee Park at Colonial Court.

17.Municipal Building at the northwest comer of Cedar Lane and Teaneck Road.

18.East side of Glenwood Avenue south of Lindbergh Boulevard.

19.Municipal Compost site - foot of Lindbergh Boulevard east of Glenwood Avenue.

During the winter months, snow and ice must be removed from public sidewalks after the cessation of a storm. Commercial property owners or tenants have 12 hours; residential owners have 24 hours. Also, people who own corner properties (and at mid-block crosswalks) must shovel a pathway from their shoveled sidewalk to the plowed portion of the street so that pedestrians, especially school children, can cross safely.

Household Refuse: The Township does not collect household refuse. It has no control over private, independent contractors who make the pickups along routes within the Township. Although the rates the collectors can charge were deregulated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy (NJDEP), residents with service complaints should call the State-Solid Waste Regulation at (609)984-2080.

Composting/Firewood: The DPW stores wood chips at the Greenhouse located at the foot of Lindbergh Boulevard, east of Glenwood Avenue. Firewood is stored at the Recycling Depot in the DPW yard on the west side of River Road, just north of West Englewood Ave. Whenever available, firewood and wood chips are free for the taking. In all cases, the rule is first come, first served.

Litter: The problem of litter is probably as old as civilization. Society rejects litter for a number of reasons. It is unsanitary - litter frequently contains decaying food. It is unsafe - litter can be an obstacle to pedestrians (ex: a banana peel) or vehicles (a broken beer bottle in the roadway). It reduces the value of your property; a littered community is unappealing to prospective buyers or lessors of property. Various Township ordinances define and control litter. Examples are:

* It is against the law to deposit household or commercial refuse in the DPW's litter containers on the street and in the parks.

* It is illegal to drop or throw any type of refuse from a vehicle.

* If you walk your dog on a public street, you are required to have on your person "a proper scoop or container or similar efficient sanitary means to immediately remove feces deposited by the dog".

* It is against the law to dump refuse of any type on any public property including parks, parking lots and vacant municipally owned land.

If you violate any of these litter control ordinances, you run the risk of receiving a summons. If convicted, you may be fined up to $500, jailed for up to 90 days or both. So, don't foul Teaneck; dunk your junk.

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