BUZZWORTHY
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Wayne & Haledon
ADIFFERENT WAYOF PROMOTING HEALTH
The site of a FORMER TUBERCULOSIS SANATORIUM on theborderofWayne and Haledon may become Passaic County ’ snewest park : County officials have confirmedthey are in thepreliminary stages of reimagining the former home of theValleyView Sanatorium as a new public complex for athletics and recreation . AdjacenttoPassaicCounty Technical Institute , the grassysite may someday house indoor fieldsand courts , community spaces and park offices , officials say . Trails and monuments couldline thepartially-wooded grounds .
Thesite has been owned by the county forabout 100years . Included in a 275-acre purchase , it was first developed by PassaicCounty ’ s governingboard in 1927 with a hospital exclusively for tuberculosis care . That year , about 2,830 New JerseyresidentsdiedfromTB , state officialsreportedatthe time , sayingthe “ White Plague ” wascosting Passaic County residents about $ 3.5 million a year in medical expenses and ancillary costs . That is about $ 60 million today when factoring in inflation .
— DAVIDM . ZIMMER
Prospect Park
CANASHORTER WORK WEEK WORK ?
Is a FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK agood idea ? Administratorsinthe borough of Prospect Park will soon find out . They ’ ve shortened thefive-dayweek for some staff in a move that officials say will cut costs , improve work-life balance and increase productivity . The municipal building on BrownAvenue is now open from 8:30 a . m . to 6:30 p . m . on Mondays throughThursdays , and it is closed on Fridays .
BoroughAdministrator Intashan Chowdhury says the new schedule also helps the public . Because so many residents of this blue-collarcommunityare at work during the day , he says the extended hours will allow them to get to the building beforeitcloses at night . “ We ’ ve seen people at 4:30 on thedot , trying to make it to the borough hall ,” Chowdhury says .“ Now they don ’ t have to rush .”
Officials willgauge the success of the schedule change in six months , he says , adding that they expect to save money by reducing energy consumption , and that an abbreviated workweek may also attract more candidates to job openings .
— PHILIPDEVENCENTIS
Wayne
WAYNE DOCTORTRAVELS TO HELP EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
DR . SOUHEIL SABA , aretiredOB / GYNand surgeon , journeyed to Syria mid-February to help earthquake victims — and returnedsaying thesituation reminded him of a disaster movie . Saba , who serves on a committee organizing relief , is CEO of a Syrian hospital that has sent dozens of volunteers to earthquake-affected areas of Aleppo and Jableh with food , water and medical supplies . Sadly , as with volunteers post-9 / 11 , they foundthat there were not many injuries to treat . “ Because buildings fell down on the people , most of those people died ,” he says .
Saba has been getting support from the St . John of Damascus Fellowship , a Christian Syrian organization in New Jersey . Saba says his group was a small part of a much bigger effort involving organizations and churches trying to help victims in government-controlled areas of Syria . The country has been a target of U . S . sanctions since 1979 , but days after the Feb . 6 earthquake devastated Syria and Turkey , the U . S . Treasury Department eased sanctions to allow transactions related to relief . That has made it easier to receive donations , Saba says .“ People arehelping in any waythey can ,” hesays .
— HANNANADELY
BUILDING : NORTH JERSEY MEDIA GROUP ; CALENDAR : ABSCENT84 , GETTY IMAGES / ISTOCKPHOTO ; DR . SABA : ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
4 MAY 2023 WAYNE MAGAZINE