This week’s Mayor’s Message was written by Harrison Township Administrator Mark Gravinese.
We have all been impacted by this pandemic in some way. The COVID-19 virus has made our normal day-to-day activities challenging for now, but this will not last forever. I would like to share that the township leadership and all of our employees have been working very hard to keep our services up and running. We have been creative in doing so and have been adhering to our stay at home orders and social distancing protocol. Yes, all of our facilities are closed to public access, but we are still operating and maintaining our municipal services.
We have done this with most employees working from home and others working staggered shifts, which limits exposure and the potential for spreading the virus. If required to come into our facilities, employees wear masks and we have social distancing protocols in place. Our phones and emails are monitored daily. You may have to be a little more patient with us, since we are experiencing higher than normal flow of incoming calls and emails.
Mayor Manzo has been doing an extraordinary job keeping all of us informed with his daily “Mayor’s Messages”, where he shares the summary of what has been going on in our community in regards to the virus and the resources available at the county and state level for our residents. He has given us insight to how the rest of the township committee is working behind the scenes with local volunteers to help our seniors, our businesses and those individuals most most risk.
Recently, Mayor Manzo has incorporated videos featuring interviews with different members of our community to keep us informed of other things happening around town. We have been overwhelmed with calls from individuals in our community volunteering to help and support others in need. It’s amazing! I would like to personally thank all of these volunteers, also challenged by this pandemic, but they’ve still stepped up to help others. This is what makes Harrison Township strong!
Our local businesses have all been significantly impacted and will need our support as we get through this. If you are able, continue to order take-out meals or merchandise online. That can be the difference between surviving this crisis or not for a local small business. Your support is greatly appreciated. We can deal with these challenges if we do it together.
Please remember to do your part in stopping the spread of COVID-19 virus by staying at home unless it is really necessary to venture out for essential needs. Practice social distancing and wear a mask while out in public. Thank you and please be safe.
