I hope everyone is off to a wonderful start to this New Year. First let me start by saying I am honored to serve this wonderful town as mayor for the 2014 year. Mother Nature has made for a very difficult month. With that I would like to thank Ken Homlish, our Superintendent of Public Works, and his staff for their excellent work in clearing the snow and ice from our roads and sidewalks. Also, a special thanks to Police Chief John Cook and his staff, and Fire Chief James Sanford and his staff for keeping our town safe.

Many of us are upset of the recent problems we have been experiencing with our mail delivery. I have spoken several times to both the United States Postal Service and to Leonard Lance’s office and they have assured me that they are working to fix the problems.Unfortunately for us, the United States Postal service is a federal agency; therefore we have no jurisdiction over them. If you continue to experience problems, please email me at [email protected].

Our Recreation Department has been hard at work over the last few months. Recently our new Senior Center opened at the Chisolm Recreation Center. Also all of the Recreation Department Offices have moved there as well. They have been experiencing some problems with the phone lines, so please let the phone ring 5 times before hanging up. Verizon has assured us that these problems will be fixed in the very near future. The community has been undergoing some major renovations this offseason. The inside of the pool has been sand blasted and repainted, the concrete around the pool has been fixed and a new filter system is being installed.

We are also mourning the loss of former Springfield Mayor Phillip Kurnos. Mr. Kurnos served as the mayor of Springfield from 1991 through 1993. Some of his many accomplishments were organizing the 1993 United States Open held at Baltusrol Golf Club and his work in building the Springfield Basketball program. Mr. Kurnos positively impacted many lives here in Springfield. There are many different areas where residents can become involved. If you would like to find out more about volunteer opportunities, please contact the Town Hall at (973) 912-2200. Remember, together WE ALL CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!