Two citizens have suggestions
By:Ruth Luse
Only a few citizens were on hand Monday night for the regular meeting of Hopewell Borough Council, but two asked questions that led to considerable discussion among council members and the mayor.
Sue Silvestri of Hart Avenue suggested borough officials check out no-parking signs on various streets – namely Second Street and Hart – to see if they actually do conform with state standards. Ms. Silvestri said there are several different kinds and "we need an interpretation of the law to say what these signs mean."
Dennis O’Neal, borough engineer, said there are standards for signs. They all fall, he commented, under a uniform traffic control design code.
Councilman Henry Wittman III said the manual governing such matters should be checked to see if the signs around town are correct. Mr. O’Neal agreed, saying he would follow up on the suggestion.
Ms. Silvestri also wanted to know if the Hopewell Township Police, who cover Hopewell Borough by contract, could give a quarterly report about what’s going on in town. Mayor George Padgett said that "we do see a monthly report." And Mr. Wittman agreed, saying that "we get it for the township and Hopewell" with figures comparing this year to last. It was noted that the bulk of tickets given out are for speeding and similar offenses.
Asked how many man hours the borough actually gets, the mayor said, "I think we’re getting our money’s worth." Councilwoman Huston agreed, stating that there had been no problems at the summer concerts and that the officers on duty had been "kid-compatible."
To address traffic problems, particularly during heavy times of the day, Councilman David Knights suggested that perhaps an unmanned vehicle could be placed in certain areas. Other suggestions included: speed humps and making entries to intersections narrower when street repaving projects are done.
Councilman Thomas Dallessio said, "there has been a "significant traffic reduction on Model Avenue." Mayor Padgett noted that parking on both sides of the street – which is what exists on Model – also seems to slow traffic down.
Ms. Silvestri thanked council for the September townwide yard sale weekend, adding that "it was a blast … Broad Street was packed." She then proposed having two sales a year, one close to Memorial Day and the other "around Harvest Fair." Asked if she would like to be in charge of this project by Councilwoman Alice Carter Huston, Ms. Silvestri said, "yes."
Todd Poole of Lafayette Street wanted to know what was happening in terms of getting new business for the town. "I’m dying for a Chinese restaurant," he said..
Mr. Dallessio, in response, gave a report about the work of the Economic Development Committee (EDC). The group had meet Monday, he said, and is planning a Brokers’ Breakfast for Oct. 20 at 8 a.m. at the Hopewell Railroad Station. Realtors, business people, relocation people and the like are being invited. "We’d like many to attend," he said, adding that those planning to attend must register. Those interested should call Mayor Padgett at 466-2636.
Mr. Dallessio suggested that anyone who has specific ideas about whom should be invited should contact the EDC. The mayor said, "I’m a great fan of Chinese food, I would love to see one in Hopewell," but he didn’t think anyone with that particular interest had been invited to date.
Mr. O’Neal, in his monthly report, discussed the following items:
The need to come up with money to handle two change orders for the Well No. 4 project. He sees a need for a surge protector and a flow restrictor at the site. These were not, he said, part of the original specifications for the project. He estimated their cost at $2,707.
Clerk Hilary Fortenbaugh will check to see what’s left in the budget for this project and will report at a future council session.
The need to check out the parking situation in front of Rose & Chubby’s on the North Greenwood Avenue side – near to the intersections of Model Avenue and Railroad Place. "I think there should be no parking there," he said, adding that there is plenty of parking space in the general area. Parking in front of the eatery creates, in his opinion, a bad traffic situation.
The need for volunteers to help with a Hopewell Park project – the repair of paths, which suffered recent storm damage. Trap Rock, he said, has given the borough 80 tons of material to help fix the walks and Castoro’s plans to pick up the material. The work will be done on a coming Saturday. Watch for more details in this paper.
The need to find ways to get rid of the many Harvest Fair T-shirts that came in too late this year for timely sales. "We need ideas about how to sell them," said Mr. O’Neal, who has been active in the Harvest Fair effort for many years.
Committee reports included:
Public Safety – Mr. Wittman said that the Taylor Terrace area is suffering from bad curbing conditions. Some, he added, are in a state of "complete deterioration."
He also briefly discussed the topic of Van Dyke Road. Mr. Wittman said he planned to attend the Hopewell Township Committee meeting to learn more about the plan. He noted that Hopewell Township Deputy Mayor Jon Edwards had indicated that he wanted to talk to Hopewell officials about ideas for the road.
EDC – Mr. Dallessio talked about plans to make Hopewell come alive during the holidays. Projects include the tree-lighting, the snowflake- lighting (HBA/EDC project), a possible home decorations contest, bringing in a singing group to provide seasonal music, an open house at the train station, and the like.
Ms. Huston reported that the borough booth at Harvest Fair made $485 that was turned over to the Harvest Fair fund.
Ms. Huston said that the borough’s cable TV agreement is being "ironed out." She said that after all is said and done, "we may be able to televise the council meeting,"
On the topic of turkey vultures, Ms. Huston said that plans include putting out a public information piece, which would suggest among other things that people get rid of dead trees on their properties, keep their garbage cans covered, etc. "We are working toward trying to resolve" this turkey vulture situation, she said. "They are due to return later this fall."
On the topic of the Valleywide recreation effort, Ms. Huston reported that the Township Committee was in the process of interviewing candidates for the position of recreation director and that plans for the complex at Back Timberlane were going before the township’s Planning Board Wednesday night.
Councilman David Mackie said Hopewell’s new dump truck was due to arrive Tuesday.
But, "we need another new truck," he said, to replace the Dodge, which has been suffering ongoing transmission problems, due to carrying weights for which it was not intended. "Herb (Ruehle) has been shopping around," and cost estimates for the kind of truck being considered are in the neighborhood of $41,000.
Ms. Fortenbaugh suggested looking into the state contract route for the purchased of the new vehicle. "You save a lot of staff time and effort, even if it costs a little more," she added.
She also noted that the bond ordinance that would cover this could not be introduced until next year, because "you can’t carry an ordinance over" until the next year. Mr. Mackie said, "We’ll get figures (for the truck) nailed down" by early next year.
The Dodge, he said, would be used for "lighter duty," and suggested it might be used as a field vehicle for the water department.
The topic of the King’s Path water situation came up at the end of the session. Mayor Padgett wanted it made clear that "the borough has never declined to offer water to King’s Path. No response does not mean no offer," he said, alluding to the fact that Hopewell Township officials had gone ahead and come up with a proposal to use Elizabethtown Water for the development, which has been suffering contamination problems. Ideas on how to address this contamination on a permanent basis also have included Hopewell’s annexation of King’s Path.
As far as Hopewell officials are concerned, the King’s Path problem is still an open issue.
Clerk’s business – Ms. Fortenbaugh said her office needs new computer equipment. "We will be putting together a proposal" for this and for a new truck for a bonding proposal, she said.
She also said, "We don’t have a permanent tax collector," a situation that is, "in violation of state statute. Council needs to address this staffing problem, which is not fair to the staff."
Ms. Fortenbaugh also asked council to address the "status of the building." She said under certain circumstances, when fire and rescue vehicles are firing up, the fumes pervade the building, making employees in the clerk’s office sick. "It is awful. The air turns blue … Linda (Hullfish) and I are not going to put up with it anymore. We are going to close down the office" when that happens.