Lori Price Abrams

Councilwoman Lori Price Abrams worries Montclair's magnet schools could be lost, and school construction could be put off until costly elections.

Robin checks in with the Alchemy Scent Bar on Church Street, and with Councilwoman Lori Price Abrams.

Upgrades across district, including on aging ventilation systems.

The playground was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Celeste Fiore of the Trans Affirming Alliance was disheartened by pushback against Montclair's new law making single-user bathrooms gender-neutral.

Other measures — to expand anti-discrimination hiring practices, and to put such protections in place for contracting — passed unanimously.

Montclair officials enacted a rent freeze last year to protect tenants during the economic downturn due to COVID-19. Now, a Landlord-Tenant Housing Advisory Committee official says that while some landlords have violated the ordinance, some tenants have filed false claims about landlords concerning the freeze. 

Besides routine flooding from rainstorms, the street has been particularly vulnerable during major weather events, such as the August 2018 flood and, before that, Hurricane Floyd in September 1999. 

Also discussed at the meeting was a recently approved proposal to embark on an Energy Savings Improvement Plan, a series of energy upgrades at the schools that would help the district save money on utility bills in the long run. 

The Northeast Earth Coalition (NEEC) in partnership with First Congregational Church installed the first little pantry in town. The free Little Pantry is based on a simple rule: Take what you need and donate what can. The NEEC is planning to install two more pantries.