Department of Public Works and Urban Development

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

Road Work Comparison

Time Period	Budget	Miles of road paved
Mapp Administration 2014 – 2021	$5,180,000	17.5
Prior Administration 2010 - 2013	$11,000,000	13.5

• Resurfacing of East Second Street (from Church Street to Leland Ave) project began in August 2015 from grants received from NJDOT, CDBG & 2015 Union County Infrastructure Grants totaling $794,000. The project consist of roadway and curb restoration, and ADA compliant ramps at the intersections. The project will also include new sidewalks in the business district
• Oversight of the PSE&G roadway and sidewalk restorations of Second Street (from Liberty Street to Church Place) for damages caused while updating the substation
• Completed Hurricane Sandy Repairs with funding from a FEMA grant. The project consists of restoration of curbs and sidewalks damaged during the storm
• Completed roadway reconstruction for Leland Court, Cole Place and Carlisle Terrace
• Completed the Resurfacing of Seidler Field and Matthewson Playground Basketball Courts
• 2015 Roadway Improvements for the resurfacing of Frances Lane, Shirley Street, Linbarger Ave, Maxson Place, Loretta Terrace, Coolidge Street, Adam Circle and Salem Road

Grants received for infrastructure projects

• $1,100,000.00 from Green Acres for Synthetic Turf at Seidler Field, Rushmore Field Improvements, and Improvements to the Green Brook Multi-Trail
• $594,000.00 from NJDOT Transportation Enhancement Grant for Improvements to the North Avenue Streetscape from Park Avenue to Watchung Avenue
• $85,000.00 from Kids Recreation Trust for Improvements to the Rushmore Playground existing building – Installation of a Concession Stand and Restroom Upgrades
• $100,000.00 from CDBG for Installation of a Restroom Facility at Madison Ave Playground
• $400,000.00 from CDBG and $297,500.00 from NJDOT – E. Second Street (from Leland Avenue to Terrill Road)
• $63,000.00 from 2015 Kids Recreation Trust – Improvements to Seidler Field Playground

THE DIVISION OF PUBLIC WORKS

The Division of Public Works has been working steadily since 2014 to improve the quality of service being offered to our residents. Starting with the curbside collections, various community clean-ups, and the expanded road programs - These are just a few of the Division’s continued commitment to give the residents of Plainfield the level of service they deserve

Listed below are highlights and a brief description that each bureau completed

Snow/deicing:

• The Division responded to icy roadways and several major snow storms that required plowing. All deicing and plowing operations were completed within 24 hours for all category-1 and 2 storms
• Combated blizzard ‘Jonas’ with Snow fall totals reached 28 inches. Emergency roadways stayed open during the entire event allowing emergency services to respond to calls for services. Snow removal was performed in the business district and residential areas. In-house staff worked along with several private contractors allowing for the removal of over 120,000 yards of snow

Curbside Debris Collections:

• Provided curbside pickups
• The service map was updated for clarity and streets were easier to identify
• Collections grand total was 13,420 yards of debris
• Many residents took advantage of the drop off site at the City yard and the extended time periods made disposable more convenient
• Curbside collections were given a top priority listing. Crews stayed on schedule for all pickups
• Road sweepers followed the leaf crews during the fall pickups

Recreation:

• Continued to follow an aggressive sports field turf management plan implemented in 2015 which aerating, seeding and weed control applications were done. Rock Avenue, Rushmore, Milt Campbell and Seidler Field sites were completed
• All pools were opened on scheduled dates and were operational for the entire swimming season with no major shutdowns
• Provided lawn care and litter removal of over 75+ acres
• Performed building maintenance to all sites
• Assisted with the annual 4th of July parade and various other scheduled activities

Property Abatements:

• 35 City owned properties (unoccupied)
• Over 133 privately owned properties were abated with the direction from Inspections Division Liens anticipated totaled $111,770
• Participating member of the Property Maintenance committee
• Demolition of unsafe structures. The Inspections Division, DPW and PMUA worked together, identified and removed structures that posed a threat to public safety

Shade Tree:

• Responded to 1,390 calls requesting services
• Continued to offer residents root cutting. Performed over 38 root cuttings to date
• Provided tree maintenance, trimmed 291 trees, and removed 135 tree stumps
• Worked with the Tree Committee and assisted them with various tree plantings, tree trimming and tree removal projects
• Assisted with the annual Arbor Day program, 2016, was held at City Hall. Over 100 children from Step One Academy Learning Center and Obama Green Charter High School participated in the planting of several trees and shrubs

Storm Drains:

• Cleaned and inspected over 1,700 inlets
• Utilized the summer youth staff, storm-water requirements were met. Over 1,450 inlets were re-labeled, “DRAINS TO WATERWAY”. Provided education and awareness to the public
• Assisted City Engineer with annual Storm Water Management Report

Parking Bureau:

• Enforced parking laws in the downtown area and municipal lots
• Collected and deposited revenues from meters and permits within 48 hours
• Renovated Municipal Lot 6. Renovations included milling, resurfacing, lighting upgrade, re-striping, fencing, signage, landscaping, curbing and pay stations
• Updated parking plan for Police and Court staff freeing up 30 street spaces
• Re-installed 28 street meters and updated 2 hour parking along Roosevelt Ave

Buildings & Grounds:

• Completed renovations in the court house
• Complete renovations in the Police Division
• Performed Building Maintenance to City Hall, Annex, Police Division, Bilingual Daycare, Senior Center and Public Works Yard
• Assisted with various City held events and meetings
• Responded to over 531 requests for services from staff
• Assisted Fire Division with abating POSHA violations

Street Sweeping:

• Street Sweeping crews performed a 7-day street sweeping schedule for the U.E.Z. zone
• Street sweeping crews logged a total of 4,387 miles. Removed a total of over 1,137 yards of debris from the City streets
• Utilized the summer youth staff, a special litter cleaning program was instituted that included grass areas located in the City’s Right-of-Way
• Several areas designated as hotspots were monitored and the sweeping schedule was increased in those areas

Signs & Markings:

• Replaced/repaired over 150 faded and/or damaged signs
• Installed “Reduced Speed” signs and other traffic calming devises as directed by the Police Division
• Traffic markings on roadways were re-striped totaling over 1,700 linear feet
• Curb painting: The summer youth program workers applied over 100 gallons of paint to curbs, totaling 3,200 linear feet
• Light up the City: Over 323 light outages were reported to PSE&G and repaired. Additional requests included wattage upgrades and additional light fixtures as directed by the Police Division

Fleet Maintenance:

• Completed an updated inventory list which included all vehicles/equipment under DPW and military vehicles and equipment
• During Blizzard Jonas, mechanic staff worked around the clock making certain all snow and de-icing equipment was repaired immediately and back in service with minimum downtime
• Updated P.M. procedures
• Performed maintenance on Public Works vehicles including heavy equipment, light vehicles, snow & de-icing equipment, landscaping and tree equipment
• Senior Center van and buses
• Inspections cars
• Police vehicles
• Recreation vans and buses
• Continued to work with Police Division on evaluating and transporting Federal (military) vehicles and equipment

Road Maintenance:

Potholes:

• January through middle of March: Crews made repairs between snow events and as weather allowed
• Crews performed a "pothole blitz" during peak request periods. Our newly acquired equipment; three -3 ton hot boxes and the pothole doctor along with all available staff were assigned to pothole repairs allowing for a quicker response time
• Open trailer patrol crews were added and assigned to specific locations during the "pothole blitz"

Roadway Failure:

• Spot milling and base repairs were handled by in-house staff and equipment. Crews milled small-medium size sections of roadway course failure and distressed areas

Shared Services:

• Worked along with Union County’s Road Division and DPW staff to perform large road millings to several areas of town. The addition of a “large miller” provided by the County enabled our staff to overlay over 1,000 feet of roadway
• Total amount of material applied: 890 tons

Crack Sealant:

• Hot emulsion sealant was applied to fractures to help prevent liquid from penetrating into road cracks which lead to road failure (potholes)/li>

Mill and Pave Program/Cooperative Purchasing:

• Several roadways and a municipal lot had the top 2 inches of surface removed and replaced with I-5 asphalt mix. Over 1,525 tons of asphalt was applied covering over 15,200 square feet of road surface

Summer youth and Adult Programs:

• Scheduled and supervised work activities for 35 participants
• Provided job training on a wide range of equipment
• Provided training on standard operational procedures (SOP’s) and good work practices

Shared Services:

The Division continues to be diligent in reaching out to other government agencies in an effort to stabilize operational cost. Some of these partners are:

• Union County Road Division
• Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority
• Probation Department
• Community Service
• County Welfare

DIVISION OF PARKS AND RECREATION 2016

The Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation continued to offer diverse and comprehensive year-round programming for all ages through a number of partnerships throughout the City of Plainfield. The Division oversaw the operational programming of 6 outdoor swimming pools, 10 active recreational and 2 passive recreation parks, 2 soccer, 3 baseball, 1 softball, 1 football field, 5 tennis and two concession stands. Additionally, the Plainfield Senior Citizen Service Center and Hannah Atkins Community Center are included under the Division

The Division continues to align its focus with the National Recreation & Parks Association’s Three Pillars of Parks and Recreation: Conservation, Health & Wellness, and Social Equity ensuring we make a positive impact on the quality of life in Plainfield

Special Events

• Through its annual Special Event Series the Division continues to offer free events for citizens to enjoy. Memorial Day Pool Opening, Community Outdoor Movie Nights, Independence Day Celebration: Parade, Concert and Fireworks, National Night Out, Trunk or Treat and Doggie Howl, Holiday Lights and Santa Toy distribution and the 16th Annual Kwanza Celebration are all crowd favorites
• 2016 was the inaugural year of the Mayor’s Youth Football Cup game and Plainfield Plays Tennis Day

Community Partnerships

• Community Partnerships increased 100% over the previous year

Community Improvement Projects

• The Madison Avenue Park bathroom instillation was completed. Now families will have access to barrier free bathrooms at this heavily used playground
• Scheduled for completion in 2021 are the following projects:
• Rushmore Playground Concession Stand Building, Siedler Field Reconstruction (turf field), Madison Avenue Skate Park and Walking Trail for Milt Campbell

Grants

• $ 50,000 CDBG for a walking trail at Milt Campbell Field, $ 45,450 Kids Recreation Trust for improvements to Rushmore Playground, $ 7,000 CDBG Jr. Playground Monitor Grant, $ 3,000 CDBG Shut In Council
• The City of Plainfield, Springpoint Foundation and United Way were awarded a six (6) month Age-Friendly Community Planning grant. Moving to Phase 2 of grant

Community Assistance

• Farmers Market: Plainfield Senior Citizens Service Center
• Halloween Costume Exchange
• Free Swim Cap and Google giveaway to 100 children at each pool site.
• Free Breakfast and Lunch served Rushmore, Hannah Atkins and Siedler Fields during the summer. A total of 44,839 meals served to the youth of Plainfield during the summer
• Narcan Training, Narcan™ (naloxone) is a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose
• 15 Minute Child Break Training, parenting skills

Program Highlights:

Aquatics

• 118 youth received free swim lessons given at our outdoor facilities, 32 novice swimmers competed in “ Rep your Pool” swim meet, Hannah Atkins Pool opened Memorial Day Weekend ( 82 days), Siedler Field and Rushmore Pools opened June 25th ( 73 days). 545 youth participated in Water Safety Presentations. 7 community based summer camps and Daycare Centers regularly scheduled visits to the pools
• 23 new lifeguards trained, 10 lifeguards recertified, 3 lifeguards completed Certified Pool Operator Training, 2 Aquatic coordinators completed Lifeguard Trainer Training. All programs are part of the City of Plainfield Aquatic School, Pathways to Careers in Recreation

Tennis

• Free lessons to youth offered at Hannah Atkins Tennis Courts 6 week program.
• Plainfield Plays Tennis Day offered free community Tennis Lessons

Youth Programs

• Safety Bug, operated by the Pennsylvania DUI Association, provided 72 Drivers Education class students at Plainfield High School a simulated driving under the influence experience
• Over 200 students participated in Project Graduation 2021. An evening of games, dancing, photo booth, and food buffet was provided as a drug free alternative to celebrating graduation day
• A Coding Class, one of the STEM offerings was very popular.
• Teen Nights were offered again at the outdoor pools
• Another popular STEM program new this year was Lego Robotics
• Chess was introduced and greeted with enthusiasm
• A free basketball skills camp was offered at multiple locations
• The Division partnered with the Plainfield Police Department to offer two “Carefree Friday” events. “Carefree Fridays” are open gym and pool activities hosted at Plainfield High School
• The other partnership with the Plainfield Police Department was "Operation Fuse" with the Juvenile Division. The event brings together all 8th grade students in the City of Plainfield for an evening of team building, games, music and fun

Adult

• Soul Line Dancing was offered weekly
• The Division increased the Community Trip offerings by 25% which resulted in an increase of first time participants
• Piloted a Heart Healthy Breakfast at the Plainfield Senior Center
• The Shut In Council provided services to over 300 sick and disabled residents

Facility Use

• The Parks were scheduled for 130 hours of private and community programs
• Youth and Adult sports leagues accounted for 1,392 hours of field use

PLAINFIELD SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER

• 2,841 members were serviced in 2016. This was a 4% increase from 2015. Due to the thriving socialization/recreation programming, 9% of total membership are 90 years of age or older
• Provided over 8,014 one-way senior transports from January to December
• Provided transportation for an average of 5 trips per month to locations such as: Restaurants, department and grocery stores, pool tournaments, movie theatres, health programs, stage plays, home going services, and educational forums
• Members were active and involved in activities such as pool tournaments, plays, dances, karaoke sing-a-longs and fashion shows. Several of these shows are videotaped and viewed by the community on our local PCTV cable station. Our homebound seniors really enjoy seeing their peers
• Provided Information & Assistance to an average of 50 clients per month for about 600 cases in 2016
• Provided Language Translation to an average of 38 clients per month for about 450 cases
• Provided Transportation to an average of 668 clients per month for about 8,014 cases
• Provided Socialization/Recreation to an average of 583 clients per month for about 7,000 cases
• Provide 4 health initiative programs to our senior population on a monthly basis
• In partnership with AARP, we completed over 100 senior tax returns for 2016
• In partnership with the Congregate Meals program, we served daily hot lunches to our clients The average meal served per day is 85. Hot meals are also provided to our homebound members in conjunction with the Union County Meals on Wheels program
• As part of our Outreach effort, staff and senior volunteers made home, hospital and nursing home visits to encourage our ailing members
• With help from our partnerships in the community, as well as the students of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority/Kean University, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, and NJ Longhorns Minor League Football Team we able to host our Annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner. We had over 180 people attend the event
• In partnership with Union County College we provided two (2) Continuing Education College Courses, Specific Topics in Biology, and Intro to Drama
• This year we were awarded $88,547 in grant dollars through the County of Union's Division on Aging
• Arts & Cultural - $2,300
• Community Development Block Grant $32,000
• In partnership with the State of New Jersey the Workforce 55 Program provides employment training to low income Plainfield Senior Citizens. The center's daily activities are supported through this partnership. Two (2) seniors volunteer four (4) hours per day
• In partnership with the Union County Division of Social Services, the Community Work Experience Program (CWEP) provides the senior center with clients that assist with our day-to-day activities. Approximately three (3) clients are placed at the center. The average stay is about three months. These workers support our clerical and meal programming