ENGLISHTOWN – A resident who has worked diligently as a volunteer for 20 years to assist individuals and families in need was recognized for her humanitarian efforts during a recent meeting of the Englishtown Borough Council.
During the March 23 meeting, Englishtown resident Pepsi Delcastillo Gonzalez was saluted in celebration of Women’s History Month. According to a proclamation issued by Mayor Thomas Reynolds, Gonzalez and her husband, Angel, moved to Englishtown in 1996. Gonzalez began providing for the poor by working out of the basement of her home.
In 1999, Gonzalez joined the Crossroads Church on Main Street and started Pepsi’s Closet. Since that time, Pepsi’s Closet has served many families in the area through donations only. Pepsi’s Closet does not accept any payments for the items it provides and it is not advertised, according to the resolution.
In addition to providing specific items to families in need, Pepsi’s Closet has, with the assistance of volunteers and donations, completed make-overs to eight homes and apartments where upgrades were needed. The organization serves about 60 families a month. Pepsi’s Closet provides housewares, clothing, furniture, appliances and more to the community, according to the proclamation.
In thanking the council for the honor, Gonzalez said, “I am honored to do the Lord’s work and to be recognized if that is what He wants.”
In other business, the council passed a resolution to purchase 10 body worn video cameras that will be worn by Englishtown’s police officers to record their interactions with members of the public. The 10 cameras will be purchased from VIEVU, of Seattle, Wash., for $12,524. The borough has received a $5,000 grant to subsidize the purchase of the cameras, according to Lt. Peter Cooke, the officer in charge of the Englishtown Police Department.
And, the council passed a resolution to place a $730 lien on a home at 2 Park Ave. that was damaged in a fire on March 9, 2015. Englishtown’s fire marshal/code official inspected the property and declared the house unsafe and uninhabitable, according to the resolution.
On March 10, 2015, a notice of unsafe structure was issued and orders were given to board up all openings to prevent unauthorized entry into the home.
On Sept. 16, 2015 , a letter and summons was issued to the building’s owner to appear in municipal court on Oct. 7, 2015 for noncompliance to secure an unsafe unoccupied building. The owner failed to comply with the order and the building remained unsafe and unoccupied, according to the resolution,
On Feb. 23, Englishtown paid a private company $730 to secure the structure by boarding up all openings on the building. A lien has now been placed on the property and will have to be paid before the property can be sold to a new owner.
Finally, the council passed a resolution to place a $32,683 lien on property at 68 Main St. for the condemnation of unsafe structures. In 2013, the council passed a resolution declaring 68 Main St. unfit for human habitation, occupancy or use.
In December 2014 , a court order gave the owner of the property until March 1, 2015 to rehabilitate the unfit structures on the property or to demolish them. The owner did not comply with the court order and the council eventually authorized the borough engineer to prepare bid specifications, advertise and receive bids for the removal of hazards and the demolition of the unfit structures at 68 Main St., according to the resolution.
In June 2015, the council hired Caravella Contracting of East Hanover to demolish the unfit structures. That demolition contract cost the town $18,876. According to the resolution, Englishtown has incurred $11,711 in legal expenses and $2,095 in engineering expenses associated with the unfit structures at 68 Main St. The total lien of $32,683 will have to be paid before the property can be sold.