New Milford: Year in Review

As we reflect on Patch's first year as New Milford's daily news source, here is a snapshot of the borough as told by the stories from the past twelve months. 

2011 began with a taking the reins at Borough Hall. Ann Subrizi (R) was sworn in as mayor, along with Councilmen Dominic Colucci and Diego Robalino. Subrizi had unseated  who served as mayor of New Milford for 14 years. 

In February, the Department of Environmental Protection announced that the remediation process of the at the intersection of Main Street and River Road was coming to a close, opening the door to determine the fate of the property. 

March came in like a lion bringing rainstorms and flooding to residents in the low-lying areas that border the Hackensack River and Hirschfield Brook. —one to assess municipal damages and the other to assess homeowner damage. During a mayor and council work session,  where the borough had been trying to get residents to sign on to a flood mitigation plan.

In April, a representative for developer Peter Hekemian presented his company's to borough residents and business owners. The plan includes a new Shoprite, a family restaurant, bank and 10,000 square feet of commercial space for local merchants. The current ordinances and zoning would lend itself to the development of 50 single family units, but S. Hekemian Group is seeking approval for the property to be zoned commercial. 

April also brought more as the New Milford and Oradell fire departments evacuated residents from the flooded areas. about the effect of flooding from the excessive rain on their homes.

At the close of April, Subrizi and the council invited borough engineer, Dr. Stephen Boswell, to their meeting and to inform them on how to better prepare for future flood events.

Cancer survivor Danielle Petrolia organized  in May. The event raised over $80,000 for the American Cancer Society and showed the true spirit of New Milford.

In June, New Milford to the Mayor and Council on the potential development of the United Water property. Kirwan and his staff recommended that the borough re-zone the area for commercial use, but create a special ordinance to govern its development.

NMHS also celebrated the of the first graduating class of the high school and the borough celebrated its at the Art Center of Northern New Jersey.

In July, , who also teaches classes in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, was selected by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute to participate in its third annual Teaching with Testimony workshop as a candidate of its Master Teacher Program.

Additionally,  highlighting his promotion of social media as a useful teaching tool.

The Garden Cafe also hosted a , a team of 10 women who participated in Avon's Walk for Breast Cancer. 

August brought New Milford residents out to celebrate  on the field behind borough hall. On a beautiful summer night with plenty of food, fun and entertainment on hand, was a great evening for people of all ages.

August also brought , the aftermath of which many residents are still dealing with. Residents whose homes were flooded about their ordeal.

On the heels of Irene came Donna Colucci, who organized the town-wide  on September 5th to bring a sense of normalcy back to New Milford. Local businesses donated food and supplies and residents donated their time. by Gov. Chris Christie for lending their time and talent to help those hit hardest by Hurricane Irene. 

October brought a as founding New Milford Patch editor, Tracy Montgomery, stepped down to pursue other ventures and I stepped in.  

Occupy Wall Street occupied much of the news and New Milford native, Daniel Sieradski, organized a . What began as an idea for a small service turned into a gathering of 1,000 people.  

NMHS Eric Sheninger hosted the annual that drew over 300 educators to NMHS. The day was filled with workshops and strategies for implementing technology into the classroom.

And then there was Snow-tober that rocked Bergen County with heavy snowfall and power outages, and wreaked havoc upon New Milford leaving 3,000 residents without power for at least three days.  curbing this year's Halloween festivities.  

November brought a nail-biting election as they needed to put them over the top in a race that had been too close to call for most of the night. 

to talk to residents who live in repetitive flood zones about acquisitions and elevations and after months of demand, representatives from and answer questions at a mayor and council meeting. 

Because of the tight margin of victory in the November election, Councilwoman Celeste Scavetta filed a motion for a . The preliminary numbers showed that Scavetta had lost the election by ten votes. However, she gained two additional votes after the provisional ballots were counted, resulting in a loss by only eight votes. The recount, held in early December, affirmed Hedy Grant as the winner. 

Dominating the headlines as the year draws to an end is the . The church had come before the Planning Board seeking site plan approval for the old Racquetball Club site.

As our first full year of reporting the news in New Milford comes to an end, we look forward to growing as your news source for everything New Milford this coming year.