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Latest in Lawrence: Celebrating Maidenhead Meadows & The Weekly News · Lawrence Together

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Okay. Let's dive into the Lawrence Township newsletter for, mid October twenty twenty five. Right. This isn't just, you know, a standard bulletin board booster. We're looking at what the community is celebrating, what deadlines are looming, and what's coming up seasonally.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Exactly. Our mission here is really to cut through everything and pull out those critical dates, maybe some surprising achievements, things you really need to be aware of right now.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: And we should definitely start with the big win, the celebration news.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: We absolutely have to. Lawrence Township snagged a first place award from the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers. That's a pretty significant recognition.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, saw that. And the detail that caught my eye was for the Maidenhead Meadows project, specifically Category B Parks and Rec. But the kicker?
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: The in house engineer part?
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Exactly. Recognizing their own team for managing that municipal project.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: And that's fascinating isn't it? Because winning for an in house effort well it says a lot about efficiency maybe even cost control.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Right. Instead of automatically going to outside contractors, they showed their internal team could deliver a top tier park project.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: It suggests real strength within their municipal engineering staff could be a big plus for taxpayers too potentially.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's a great point about internal capability. And speaking of municipal operations, even award winning teams have bills to manage. So let's shift from celebration to, accountability. What's the most urgent deadline folks need to know?
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: Okay. Yeah. Time to get practical. Sewer utility bills. Remember those went out mid September.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: September 16, I think it was.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: That's the one. They need to be paid in the tax collector's office by October 27. That's the key date.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: October 27. If you miss it?
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: Kenilties apply immediately, so don't delay on that one.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Got it. And while you're thinking about payments, there's another licensing deadline coming up, this one for feline residents.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: That's right. If you have a cat, listen up. Any cat seven months or older needs license.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: Mandatory.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Mandatory. And the deadline before late fees kick in is November 1.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Okay. And the fees are tiered. Right? Yep. It's $11 if your cat is spayed or neutered, but $14 if not.
• 2:06
  A little nudge from the township there.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: Encouraging responsible pet ownership through the fee structure. Makes sense. Okay, so from financial and pet duties let's talk civic duty.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: They're putting out a call for election board workers.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: Ah, for the general election. That's November 4 this year.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: Correct. And they specifically highlighted a need for bilingual workers, is, you know, really important for accessibility.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: Absolutely. Ensures the process is smooth for everyone. Good call. Now, quick check on official meetings. Anything changing there?
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Okay. So the township council meeting is still happening Tuesday, October 21, 06:30PM, business as usual there. But But if you were planning to go to the planning board meeting on October 20, that one's canceled. Canceled. Okay.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: Good to know. Might just be a light agenda, but important if you had something specific you were tracking.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: Exactly. Saves you a trip.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: Alright. Let's move on to the the fun stuff. The community calendar looks packed for Halloween. Oh, it really is. Lots happening.
• 3:04
  First up, there's a big trunk or treat event.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: This is the one cohosted by the police, rec department and the schools.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: That's it. LTPD, rec, LTPS. It's Thursday October 23 from 6PM to eight 8PM over at the Lawrence High School parking lot.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Okay sounds like a big one and then there's another treat event.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: Yep just a few days later Sunday October 26 the LHT Lawrence Hopewell Trail folks are doing a trail and treat.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: Where is that one?
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Lawrence Village Park That one runs 3PM to 5PM and it's aimed at kids aged two to 12.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: Perfect for the younger ones. And people are still decorating their houses, right? The contest?
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: They are. Voting for the Halloween house decorating contest is open until October 30.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: And they announce winners on Halloween itself.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: Halloween day October 31. You can find the winners and probably see all the decorated houses on their monster map.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: Fun! Okay before we get lost in ghosts and goblins there's also winter prep starting. Leaves!
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Yes, leaves. Important logistical note here. Public Works starts leaf collection on November 3.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: And that runs for a while.
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: Through December 31. But here's the key thing people need to understand. You can expect three collections during that whole period.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Only three?
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: Three passes. And it's done street by street. So, you know, don't panic if your neighbor's leaves get picked up and yours don't immediately. They're cycling through.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Patience is required. Got it. Street by street, November 3 to December 31. And one last quick item.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: Just a quick public health note, the health department still has some free at home COVID-nineteen test kits from Mercer County.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: Oh good to know. While supplies last presumably.
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: Might be worth grabbing a few before the holiday season really ramps up.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: Okay. So to kind of wrap up the immediate takeaways. Yeah. You need to handle those sewer bills by the twenty seventh, get your cat license before November 1.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Right. Manage those deadlines, but also, you know, jump into all the community fun with the Halloween events packed into the next couple of weeks.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: It's that mix of responsibility and community engagement.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Precisely, balancing the civic stuff with the celebrations.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: And let's bring it back to where we started that engineering award. Winning for Maidenhead Meadows is great, but winning specifically because of the in house engineer.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah. What
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: does that choice, that specific recognition really tell us about how a town like Lawrence values building and keeping its own internal talent, you know, versus always farming out the big projects to external firms.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: That's a really interesting question to leave people with that focus on internal capacity versus outsourcing. It says something about their long term strategy perhaps, something to think about.