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Fanwood honors long-serving volunteers and proclaims April observances
Summary
Mayor Colleen Maher recognized decades of service by members of Fanwood's boards and commissions, including the library, shade tree, planning and health boards, and issued proclamations for Clean Communities Day (April 25), Arbor Day, Child Abuse Prevention Month and Autism Acceptance Month.
Mayor Colleen Maher opened the April 20 meeting of the Borough of Fanwood's mayor and council by thanking volunteers who serve on local boards and commissions and by reading several proclamations.
Maher called out long-serving members of the board of health, including Margaret Lewis and Michael Lewis, and praised environmental commission volunteers for caretaking the borough's nearly 7-acre nature center. She recognized library trustees (including Jane Coppel and Jane Frost Gazo) and noted the library will begin a search for a new director when Dan Weiss retires on June 1.
The mayor singled out members of the recreation commission, cultural arts volunteers responsible for long-running programming at the carriage house, and the historic preservation commission for their role in maintaining the town's train station and carriage-house facilities; she said grant funding will support a restoration contract scheduled for later in the summer.
Maher read proclamations into the record. She proclaimed April 25 Clean Communities Day, inviting residents to gather at the south side of the train station at 8:30 a.m. for the annual cleanup and noted volunteers receive shirts, supplies and food. Council and volunteers explained Arbor Day events at Carriage House Park (the borough will distribute northern red oak seedlings and host a talk by Nettingham Environmental Club on the historic Fanwood Oak).
The council also proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month; student ambassador Tyler (Scotch Plains-Vanwood High School) and Carrie Spicer of Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey spoke about local prevention work and statewide Pinwheels for Prevention outreach. Councilman Jeffrey Banks read the proclamation declaring April 2026 Autism Acceptance Month and urged inclusive practices across schools, businesses and civic institutions.
The meeting record shows the recognitions and proclamations as part of the borough's volunteer-appreciation activities and upcoming spring events; no votes were required for the proclamations.
The council adjourned the proclamations portion and moved on to correspondence, public comment and the budget introduction later in the meeting.
