UPDATE (1/25): This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Mayor James Cahill was out of town on “personal business” and Thomas Loughlin was the Acting Mayor.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—For the second consecutive night, the city will open Lord Stirling Community School on George Street to anyone without adequate shelter on January 24.
The city survived the brunt of the most serious winter storm to hit it in years, without any major power outages.
A city official said that Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen on Neilsen Street, which opens overnight as a shelter during bad weather, was at capacity on January 23, prompting the city to open Lord Stirling.Â
According to the Elijah’s Promise Facebook page, they hosted 42 guests on the first night of the storm. Â City spokesperson Jennifer Bradshaw said nine people stayed at the school.
“Lord Stirling Community School will again serve as shelter on Sunday night for those without a secure place to weather the cold,” reads a Nixle alert from city police. Â “Anyone without adequate shelter from the cold may go there to keep warm overnight.”
At 12:51pm, the school district announced that all public schools in the Hub City will be closed on Monday, January 25 due to “inclement weather.”
Acting Mayor Thomas Loughlin also lifted his “restrictions” on driving, which limited use of the roads to emergency responders and people whose jobs were “directly responsible for ensuring the safety of the public.”
“Please use caution if driving today as DPW crews continue to plow and salt our streets,” read a Nixle alert announcing the end of the restrictions, which lasted almost 25 hours.
The city also announced that the scheduled recycling pickup for January 25 is postponed until Saturday, January 30.
“Residents should place recycling out on Friday night after 5 p.m. on the street side of snow piles making it visible and accessible to the truck,” reads another Nixle alert.
The public library is expected to be open on January 25, after being closed for the wintry weekend. Â But Director Robert Belvin asked patrons to call ahead to find out what time it will be opening.
“The library will be open tomorrow, Monday, January 25 although I suggest calling ahead (732-745-5108) to check on parking, time of opening, etc,” Belvin wrote.
As for Rutgers University, the city’s biggest institution, it expects to be open on Monday, and continues to operate according to its normal weekend bus and dining hall schedules
“Rutgers University remains open and operating. Individual classes may be canceled, offices may be closed and some services, operations and activities may be canceled, interrupted or curtailed on Sunday,” reads the latest update on the university’s “campus status” website.
“Please contact offices and service providers directly to check their status. Clinical operations remain open. We will provide updates as conditions warrant.”
Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.
