Middletown pulled a hat trick in the 2014 Asbury Park Press Readers Choice Award by winning awards for library, fire and police services.
The Middletown Township Public Library, and the Police Department were voted the Best of the Best in Monmouth County. The Middletown Fire Department earned the title ‘One of the Best”. This the second consecutive year all three have won Reader’s Choice Awards. The Library was also named Best of the Best in 2008.
The Mayor and Township Committee congratulated the trio at the October 20th meeting. “We are very proud to announce that three township departments have received Readers Choice Awards again this year,” said Mayor Stephanie C. Murray. “These accolades are a testament to our assertion that Middletown’s services, its staff and its volunteers are top-notch. It’s a great time to live in Middletown.”
Middletown’s award-winning library remains a popular destination for Middletowners with 451,876 visiting last year. With total of 858,913 materials circulated in 2013, the library circulated the most materials statewide for consecutive two years. Also in 2013, the reference desk provided information to 55,116 people and 39,465 people attended 1,539 events, said Library Director Kim Rinaldi. She noted program attendance for 2014 has already exceeded last year and they’re on track to break new records in circulation.
“The Township Committee and I thank the Library’s Board of Trustee and Director Kim Rinaldi for making our library the Best of the Best. They not only saved the library from economic jeopardy but enhanced services to even higher standards,” said Mayor Stephanie C. Murray. “Our library was voted the best in Monmouth County because of their hard work, dedication and perseverance.”
The Middletown Police Department is the largest department in Monmouth County with over 100 sworn officers. In 2013 the department received 40,445 calls for service. Under their watch, the Middletown remains one of safest communities of its size in the nation with a personal crime ratio of 1 out of 1,000 people according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report. The low crime rate is an integral reason why MONEY Magazine named Middletown One of the Best Places to Live four times since 2006. It’s also why the township was named among the safest in the nation by a Safewise, a home security website, earlier this year.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to have such fine men and women serving in the Middletown Police Department,” said Mayor Murray, “It is their hard work and commitment to public service that continues to make the Police Department and our township great. “
The Middletown Fire Department, which is described as the largest all-volunteer department in the world, has 11 independent fire companies and five special units. There are over 300 active members. The department also serves as a regional resource for special services such as Hazardous Materials Response and Marine Firefighting and has an accredited Fire Training Academy. Last year the department responded to 923 calls for service. The Fire department expects get another 1,200 calls for service by the end of this year.
“One of the things that makes Middletown a great place to call home is the hundreds of volunteer professionals serving in our Fire Department,” said Mayor Murray. “We can all sleep a little easier at night knowing they stand ready to protect our lives and property at a moment’s notice.”
The Best of Monmouth County winners in each category were selected by the readers of the Asbury Park Press through ballots available online every day from July 1 through August 15. Ballots were also printed in the Asbury Park Press on selected dates in July and August. More than 67,500 votes were cast between Monmouth and Ocean County Readers.