FLPD now offers a Safe Trade Zone for online transaction exchanges

safe trade zone sign
Safe Trade Zone sign for San Marcos, TX PD
Fair Lawn joins other communities in offering an Online Transaction Safe Exchange Zone for residents to utilize during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. Look for signs posted in the main lobby of the Municipal Building for spots where items you have purchased online can be obtained from sellers under the watchful eye of Fair Lawn Police video surveillance. Larger items can be exchanged in the parking lot behind the Municipal Building, which is also under constant video surveillance.

Questions about the Online Transaction Safe Exchange Zone can be directed to the Borough Manager’s Office at 201-794-5310 or jvankruiningen@fairlawn.org.

Here’s a bit of background from the Wall Street Journal on how safe exchange zones came into being, and why:

Concerned about robberies, scams and killings tied to purchases arranged through Craigslist and other online marketplaces, police and sheriff’s departments nationwide are carving out areas of their stations for people to complete transactions.

At least 70 departments in the U.S., from Boca Raton, Fla., to Bedford, Texas, have created such zones, usually in parking lots or lobbies… The areas, sometimes dubbed “safe zones” or “safe havens,” deter criminals by virtue of their location on law-enforcement property that is under constant video surveillance, supporters say.

Garretson Farm annual Butterfly Festival in Fair Lawn Sat 9/12

Garretson Farm holds its annual Butterfly Festival Saturday 12 September at 1:30 in in Fair Lawn, NJ. Come enjoy nature in this wonderful small farm setting, on River Road in Fair Lawn just across the river from Route 21 in Paterson.

The farm offers plenty more like an organic seed bank exchange, bird watching opportunities and tours of the historic home which is located on the site. Caterpillar Nana tells us about farm activities the public can enjoy:

Garretson Farm
On Facebook
201-797-7545
4-02 River Rd
Fair Lawn, New Jersey

Back-to-School: a good time to discard hazardous waste – collection on Sept 12

The BCUA will be conducting a household hazardous waste (HHW) collection event this coming Saturday, rain or shine:

Saturday 12 Sept 2015
9am-3pm
Bergen County Campgaw Mountain Reservation
200 Campgaw Road
Mahwah, NJ

BCUA hosts eight hazardous waste days for Bergen County residents and small businesses to take advantage of throughout the year. Locations include Bergen County Community College in Paramus, Campgaw Mountain Reservation in Mahwah, and the BCUA facility in Moonachie.

Household hazardous materials the BCUA will accept include aerosol cans, anti-freeze, batteries (vehicle and rechargeable only), disinfectants, fertilizer, fire extinguishers, fluorescent lights, gasoline, paints, solvents, used motor oil and filters, and varnishes. A full list of accepted materials and other related information can be found at www.bcua.org.

ABOUT BCUA
BCUA, a public utility providing sewage disposal and solid waste services, water pollution control and solid waste management services in Bergen County, actively partners with local communities in efforts to protect the environment, including free programs to collect hazardous waste, tires and other reusable items.

Councilwoman Swain stops by Fair Lawn Community Garden

Lisa with produce & JorgeSunday morning, Ivan Wei and I met Councilwoman Lisa Swain in the Fair Lawn Community Garden to give her a tour and show her how well our gardens grow. She was delighted with the bountiful production and impressed with the watering system our organizer Stan Olejarz set up … and mentioned that she grows strawberries at home.

Lisa smiling in garden

Councilwoman Swain, who’s the Fair Lawn Green Team liaison, mentioned that she’d like to see the shed erected that she obtained through a grant a couple of years ago and offered to look into facilitating this. Ivan planted the idea of helping us get a deer-proof fence (a ten footer) too, and we sent the Councilwoman off with a few freshly picked tomatoes, scallions and banana peppers.