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SAYREVILLE, NEW JERSEY, October 28, 2004: When the Dwarkadhish Hindu Temple on Washington Road wanted to close down a major thoroughfare for a 10th anniversary celebration parade from Kennedy Park to the temple, Borough officials were initially somewhat reluctant to allow the parade. The officials were concerned about the safety of residents in the Lakeview senior community as well as the anticipated participation of around 10,000 people and store owner reactions to the celebrations. After deliberation, Mayor Kennedy O’Brien’s vote was the deciding factor in allowing the temple to proceed with their plans. Jeffrey Bertrand, Borough Business Administrator, reports, “There were no problems during the parade and other temple events. The weekend went off without a hitch. The procession began at 1:35 p.m. and ended 3:01, almost exactly as had been estimated by the temple. They held their word. Store owners reported their businesses unaffected by the events, with a number of people saying they had thought there to be only 4,000 people at the temple on Saturday, whereas earlier projections had placed that number closer to 10,000. It couldn’t have gone any better.” Barry Eck, Borough Emergency Management Coordinator, adds, “Two weeks ago officials met with representatives of the fire department, police and the first aid squad and agreed that, aside from potential traffic issues, there were no safety concerns in closing the road.” Mayor Kennedy O’Brien and other council members attended the celebrations. One of the councilman said, “I was very touched by the people in the procession. A very devout and family-oriented group of people. I think that’s the kind of thing most of us want to see in the borough.”

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