Old Tappan council approves soft Halloween road closures on Country Squire, orders no-parking signs

The mayor and council of Old Tappan voted to implement a "soft" closure of Country Squire and adjacent streets for Halloween, with no-parking signs posted starting at 2:00 p.m. and a managed soft closure from about 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Council members said officers would be stationed to allow residents in and out of driveways while removing parked cars that obstruct sight lines.

Council member Donna Costello, who introduced herself earlier in the meeting, said she supported a full, managed closure for a short window to protect children: "I am supportive of option number 1." Residents who live on Country Squire and nearby streets said the neighborhood has grown into a high-traffic trick-or-treat destination and urged the council to take proactive steps. Doreen Pfeiffer, who identified herself as living at 12 Windsor Place, told councilors, "Restricting parking would be the ideal solution because what we have now is we have parking on both sides of the street." Troy Parvin, a long-time resident, said the debate "really does come down to a safety issue." (Speakers: Donna Costello; Doreen Pfeiffer; Troy Parvin.)

The motion to adopt the option was made during the meeting by a council member and seconded; the chair called for a roll call and announced the motion carried. The council asked the police chief to finalize the detailed closure footprint (including Windsor and Westminster connectors), directed the Department of Public Works to post no-parking signage, and asked staff to notify residents in advance. The full formal vote tally was not enumerated verbatim in the transcript; the chair declared the measure adopted.