Sandy Revealed Florham Park's Character, Mayor Says

Dozens of volunteers and borough employees and members of the Florham Park community were recognized at last week's Borough Council meeting for their role in helping Florham Park recover after Superstorm Sandy.

Honorees included DPW workers, school officials, police officers, firefighters, ambulance squad members, a local gas station operator, and residents who broughts meals to the shelters and went door-to-door delivering information.

The late Ken Kopia, an active volunteer in Florham Park for decades, also was honored at the meeting. He died Sept. 29 at the age of 91. Members of his family were in attendance.

Volunteers for the One Day One School program, which saw volunteers and donations take care of hundreds of thousands of dollars of tree removal and landscaping work at Hanover Park High School on Oct. 13, also were recognized.

Mayor R. Scott Eveland said at the start of the meeting, character is not built in times of adversity, it is revealed in times of adversity.

"The character of this town was certainly revealed," he said.

He said the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, which knocked out power to the entire borough and uprooted trees into roads, houses and power lines, "was one of the most adverse situations I've seen."

"It really is tremendous to see a community come together," he said.

He said, "It's great to have so many people to thank in a time of crisis."