Community Corner

Downtown Hightstown Gives Fire Company Funds for Damaged Equipment

The fire company's diving equipment was damaged during Hurricane Irene.

Downtown Hightstown, Inc. donated over $3000 to the Hightstown Engine Company to replace lifesaving equipment that was damaged in Hurricane Irene.

The organization asked fire Chief Larry Van Kirk if equipment was damaged during the storm and he immediately thought of the diving equipment, the Downtown Hightstown said. They voted to donate $3,650 to the fire company for this equipment, given the increasing number of events held on and near Peddie Lake each year.

Following the storm, the Downtown Hightstown set up a Hurricane Relief Fund and donations started coming in, according to Downtown Hightstown. Donations were received from community members, from the Mom’s Club bake sale and from local businesses, including , and .

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“Immediately after the hurricane we posted all the information regarding the boil water alert on our website and sent out email blasts to our 900 person mailing list,” Downtown Hightstown Chair Ryan Rosenberg said in a news release. “We also setup a relief fund account, and through our network with local residents and community members, encouraged people who were thinking about donating to relief efforts to think of their local community first.”

In addition to the fire company, the organization allocated $1000 for the Hightstown Parks and Recreation Department to replace the soil and mulch that was lost near Peddie Lake and Memorial Park in the storm, and $400 to Rise to pay for carpet cleaning after the flood.

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“We basically just provided a conduit between the generous donors and the entities in the Borough that needed the funds the most,” Rosenberg said.


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