Welcome to Lawrence Together, your community podcast for Lawrence Township, New Jersey. Today's episode covers news and updates from Latest in Lawrence, dated Thursday, July 23rd, 2026. Let's get started.
Let's start with a few announcements from the Township. Bulk waste collection is scheduled for Friday, July 31st. Bulk waste includes items too large for your regular cart, and residents are permitted three bulky items, each weighing no more than fifty pounds. If you'd like to schedule a pickup, contact the Public Works Department to make an appointment.
Drivers should also be aware of a ramp closure affecting Interstate 295 southbound. The Exit 69B ramp to Route 206 southbound is closed and detoured as part of a noise barrier installation project in Lawrence, Mercer County, with the right lane before the exit also closed for construction. Please check the Township's details link for the most current status of this closure before you travel.
There's also a mailing address update to know about. The Township of Lawrence is discontinuing the use of P O Box six, oh, oh, six. All correspondence, including payments, should now be mailed to Township of Lawrence, twenty-two oh seven Lawrenceville Road, Lawrence Township, New Jersey, zero eight six four eight. If you have scheduled payments set up, please update them to reflect this new address.
Now, a note from the Tax Collector's office. Third quarter twenty twenty-six tax amounts are available on the Township website, and bills will be mailed at the end of July, with the due date extended. The last day to pay third quarter taxes without penalty is Tuesday, September eighth, by close of business, with no further grace period. Late payments will be charged interest back to August first. For questions, call the Tax Collector at six oh nine, eight four four, seven oh four one.
From Public Works, there's a temporary update to the brush pile program. For the month of July only, the Township is permitting brush piles up to twenty-five feet in length for yard waste collection. All other rules still apply: branches should be no more than six inches in diameter and three feet in length, piles no higher than three feet, and no stumps or large tree sections placed in the roadway. Vegetative material should be placed at the street edge the weekend before your zone's collection day. This exemption applies only through your July collection. For questions, call Public Works at six oh nine, five eight seven, eighteen ninety-four.
Over at the Recreation Department, spring and summer programs are underway, with new activities for youth and adults added regularly, so keep an eye out for updates. There are still spots open for Summer Art Camp's second session, running August third through August seventh, nine a.m. to noon, at the Lawrence Nature Center, for grades three through eight. Registration is available online or by phone.
The Lawrence Senior Center also has a lot going on. The July calendar and Senior Connect updates are available by calling the Senior Center at six oh nine, eight four four, seventy forty-eight. One highlight is the Freestyle Craft Club, meeting Mondays at one p.m. in the art room at the Senior Center, thirty East Darrah Lane. Bring your own project or choose one from their selection, and sign up by calling the center or stopping by.
The Health Department shared a helpful reminder on food safety this week, encouraging residents to wash hands often, cook food thoroughly using a thermometer, use separate equipment for raw and cooked foods, and keep kitchens clean, while avoiding cross contamination and never relying on spoiled or expired food.
The Mobile Food Pantry, run by Arm In Arm, continues on Mondays from two to four p.m. at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of the Mercer County Library System. The final scheduled date for July is Monday the twenty-seventh. For more information, call six oh nine, eight eight two, ninety-two forty-six.
The Health Department also offers nursing services, including vaccinations, blood pressure monitoring, and community resource assistance, for homebound residents in a designated rural service area. Call the Health Department at six oh nine, eight four four, seventy ninety-four to learn more. And a reminder on dog licensing: Animal Control is reaching out to more than five hundred dog owners with delinquent licenses, and summonses may now be issued for unlicensed dogs. A nine dollar late fee is currently in effect, and rabies vaccinations must be valid through November twenty twenty-six. Questions about your application should go to the Clerk's Office. Free at-home COVID nineteen test kits are also available at the Health Department while supplies last, Monday through Friday, eight thirty a.m. to four thirty p.m., at the north entrance of the Municipal Building.
From the Police Department, Chief Kevin Reading and the Township's Mental Health and Substance Use Coordinator, Elwood Dasher, recently met with a representative from You Are Accountable, a virtual behavioral health provider supporting individuals with substance use disorder and addiction, as part of the department's ongoing community partnerships.
Mark your calendar for National Night Out on Tuesday, August fourth, from five thirty to eight p.m., in front of Town Hall at twenty-two oh seven Lawrence Road. Come meet local first responders, connect with community organizations, and enjoy music, food, and activities for all ages, including emergency vehicle displays. The Police Department is also hiring Per Diem Public Safety Telecommunicators to serve as dispatchers, with competitive pay and flexible hours. Interested applicants can email their resume to the department.
A few boards and committees are meeting this week. The Shade Tree Advisory Committee meets Monday, July twenty-seventh, at seven p.m. The Lawrence Alcohol and Drug Alliance meets Tuesday, July twenty-eighth, at nine a.m. And the Environmental Resources and Green Advisory Committee meets that same Tuesday evening at seven p.m. Schedules are subject to change, so check the Township website for updates.
A couple of community events round out this week's edition. Mercer County is updating its Hazard Mitigation Plan and invites residents to a public workshop on Monday, July twenty-seventh, from six to seven p.m., at the Fire Service Training Center, three fifty Lawrence Station Road. Can't attend? You can take the survey online instead. And the Lawrence Environmental Education Foundation continues its free Family Nights at the nature center, four eighty-one Drexel Avenue, from five thirty to seven p.m. This week, July twenty-ninth, the topic is Rocks and Gems with Tom Duffy.
A few more items to share briefly. The Lawrence Hopewell Trail is collecting used children's bikes in any condition for its free youth cycling program with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Mercer County. The Emergency Rescue Mortgage Assistance program remains available for eligible homeowners facing financial hardship connected to the COVID nineteen pandemic. And Mercer County continues to offer resources including cooling centers during heat waves, a food finder tool connecting residents to over one hundred food pantries, and a new statewide Disability Information Hub with programs and services for people with disabilities and their families. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or a mental health or substance use crisis, you can call or text nine eight eight to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Finally, if you're looking to get involved, Lawrence Township offers volunteer opportunities through the Lawrence Historical Society, Meals on Wheels, and the Lawrence Township Community Foundation. Visit the Township website for details on all of these programs and more.
That's all for this edition of Lawrence Together. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update from our community. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.