Message from Deputy Mayor Matt Adams | December 12, 2025

It is hard to believe that 2025 is almost in the books.  Equally hard to believe is that I am about to complete my fifth year serving on the Township Council.   I want to take the opportunity to reflect on where we have been this past year and where we are heading.

It is a transformative time for Scotch Plains.  

Parks and Recreation

We completed three more significant park improvement projects at Brookside Park, Green Forest Park, and Kramer Manor Park.  Phase One of the revitalization of Haven Park was completed, as was the initial wave of park bathroom remodeling at some of our most popular facilities.  

Partnering with the County of Union, the Township welcomed major improvement to the athletic fields at the Vo-Tech campus on Raritan Road.  The Township also acquired five acres of new park space when it purchased the former Highland Swim Club property on Martine Avenue.  

While the exact plans for that property continue to be a work in progress, we ensured the land will be deed restricted for recreational purposes.  

In the year ahead, our Recreation Department will dive into the planning process for the former Highland site, likely engaging the services of a professional park planner who, with plenty of public input, will help the Township arrive at the highest and best use of the land.  

Our Recreation Department will so continue renovating park bathrooms and identify ways to make our parks more accessible and fun for residents of all ages.  Our Recreation Department will also launch innovating new programing focusing on areas like STEM learning and the theatrical arts.  

My wish list for Scotch Plains still includes the need to enhance the playability of our ballfields, and I will search out innovative approaches, including ongoing discussions with our partners at the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education about revitalizing the recreation spaces at our district’s middle schools.  We have all seen the positive benefits of recreation facilities upgrades over the past several years, and I do not intend to take my foot off the gas.

Public Safety

I am, likewise, very proud of our public safety accomplishments in 2025.  We expanded our full time Fire Department EMS capacity in 2025, continued to hire new police officers, and provided our brave first responders with the training and tools they need to continue serving our community at a very high level.  We welcomed new fire trucks, broke ground on our South Side Fire Station ambulance bay, and continued to support the superb community policing efforts that puts Scotch Plains in a league of its own.

Our first responders are the best in the business and, for as long as I am in this role, they will continue to be a priority.  In the year ahead, we will promote new police officers because of impending retirements and continue to backfill the ranks by recruiting new officers.  We will equip all of our first responders with the very best equipment.  Planning will also continue for a new first responder headquarters on Plainfield Avenue.

Downtown Revitalization

In 2025, Scotch Plains moved into uncharted territory regarding downtown revitalization.  Not only did construction projects on East Second Street, Front Street, and Park Avenue take considerable steps, including at the eyesore that was once the Snuffy’s site, Scotch Plains also moved toward a comprehensive downtown revitalization plan.

For 40 years, Scotch Plains leaders have talked about the revitalization of its downtown, but now it is really happening.  The plan is in place.  A qualified developer was selected after an open public process.  The next major step remaining is a state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) green light, and planning and construction on the next great American downtown, right here in Scotch Plains, can proceed.

In 2026, Scotch Plains will submit its DEP application for approvals necessary before downtown redevelopment can proceed to the next steps.  While the wheels of state government move slower than any of us would like, the lengthy planning process, complete with public input and extended study of even the most mundane issues, has made our plan better.  

After all, this plan is designed to sustain Scotch Plains for the next 100 years, so we can’t leave any stone unturned.  However, once the DEP signs off, all systems are go for the next steps in a long awaited process.  Meanwhile, we continue to welcome a variety of new businesses to our downtown that see the promise of what lies ahead. That sustained level of activity will only continue as construction begins.

I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season.  The Council will meet for the final time on December 16, and will reorganize for the year ahead on January 7.  Every day, the Council, administration, and all of the dedicated employees of the Township of Scotch Plains are working hard to keep moving our community forward.  

If you thought 2025 was a year of many accomplishments, you have not seen anything yet!