Vernon mayor declares state of emergency
Vernon. Vernon Township Mayor Howard Burrell has declared a state of emergency in Vernon Township to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The municipal center will be closed to the public and both Maple Grange and Veterans memorial parks have been closed. All activities at those venues have been canceled.
| 16 Mar 2020 | 04:54
The Vernon Township Municipal Center will be closed to the public after Mayor Howard Burrell declared a township wide state of emergency.
Vernon Township Mayor Howard Burrell declared a state of emergency throughout the township on Monday afternoon to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
"After coordination with the Sussex County Office of Emergency Management and the Vernon Township Office of Emergency Management Coordinator, Mr. Ken Clark; plus a brief discussion with the Governor’s Office, as an additional proactive and prudent action to prevent/limit the possible spread of the Coronavirus, I have decided to declare a State of Emergency for Vernon Township," Burrell said in a statement.
On Friday, Burrell closed the township Senior Center until he gets clearance from health officials that it is safe to reopen.
The state of emergency will call close the municipal building to the public until further notice, beginning 4 p.m. Monday.
Burrell said municipal center staff will take turns staffing the building at a "half staffing" method. Half the staff will work at the office for two weeks while the other half will work from home for two weeks.
Burrell also announced the closure of Maple Grange and Veterans Memorial Park. All sports and group activities in the park have been canceled until further notice.
Also, while we navigate our way through this unprecedented situation, if you or anyone you know is in need of assistance with meals, groceries, food for pets, online ordering or anything they are not able to do while we deal with this crisis, please contact the Vernon Police at their non-emergency phone number 973-764-6155," Burrell said. "We have a team in place and we are here to help."
During the closure
For normal municipal services such as requesting permits/applications; paying taxes/fines and other fees; delivering documents, etc., residents will be able to use the drop box located outside of the Municipal Center.
For contact purposes, posted on the front entry door to the Municipal Center and the township website will be a sign containing the phone numbers and the email addresses of the various municipal departments.
Access to the Police Department, which is also located in the Municipal Center, can be gained by activating a buzzer located outside of the department’s front door.