Hopewell mayor assesses town’s accomplishments

Remarks made at Jan. 2 reorganization

By:Ruth Luse
   Hopewell Borough Mayor George Padgett delivered his "State of the Borough" address Tuesday during Hopewell Borough Council’s annual reorganization meeting.
   The Republican mayor, speaking from notes he had scribbled on an envelope, said, "Partisan politics are not part of the process of governing this borough." He noted that even though the council is split between three Democrats and three Republicans, the group is "outstanding, dedicated and hard-working … There is no political gridlock in Hopewell."
   The mayor then addressed highlights of 2000, including:
    Railroad station — "This is the centerpiece for what we want to do down the road," said Mayor Padgett, speaking of the restored Victorian Era station on Railroad Place.
   Everyone, he said, worked together to bring the station project to the point where today many groups use its first floor for meetings and events. Councilman David Knights, who has been responsible for the project since the resignation of former Councilman Mark Samse, was given credit for the project’s success, as were others, including Clerk Hilary Fortenbaugh and the Planning Board.
   "We hope to rent out the second floor this year," said the mayor, who added that the rental revenue could help support the building’s expenses.
    Public buildings — These, said the mayor, will be a major agenda item in 2001. The Hopewell Fire Department needs more space and could take over the building at Columbia and South Greenwood avenues, which for years has shared space with borough offices, he said.
   Officials are considering building a Borough Hall on the railroad station property. One reason is that the current building does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
   "Last month, a woman had to be carried upstairs in a wheelchair to a Hopewell Planning Board meeting," the mayor said, noting there is no handicapped access to the meeting room on the second floor.
   "It (complying with ADA) will cost money," said the mayor.
   "We are looking for a new location for Public Works — away from the Water Department," Mayor Padgett added, and the library building, which also is not ADA-compliant, is another issue.
    COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) obligation — Hopewell has received certification for its COAH obligation of 27 low- and moderate- income housing units up until the year 2006. The borough has meet its obligation with eight rehabilitated units, 10 accessory apartments (in houses or other buildings) and with a $180,000 Regional Contribution Agreement (RCA) with Trenton for nine units. The $180,000 came to Hopewell in the form of an anonymous donation. This money, sent to Trenton last month, will be used toward affordable housing units there.
    Open space — Efforts continue toward acquisition of lands around the borough that will help form a greenbelt. Acquisition of development rights for Ruhland and Ruggieri properties in recent years have taken those lands off the list of local acreage available for development.
   Mayor Padgett said that St. Michael’s "is becoming a hot item." The 350 acres, located just outside the borough off Princeton Avenue, belong to the Diocese of Trenton and were once the site of a former orphanage/school. "The Diocese is willing to accept offers" for the land, added the mayor.
   The open space tax, OK’d by Hopewell voters in November, will be used to help the borough pursue open space preservation in the future.
    Recreation — Councilwoman Alice C. Huston’s efforts on behalf of recreation produced, among other things, a summer concert series.
   A special recreation awards event will be held for the first time on Feb. 21 at the Hopewell Railroad Station. At that time, Michael Hritz, the new Hopewell Township recreation director, will speak.
   Both Ms. Huston and the mayor are part of the Recreation Roundtable, a Valleywide group that has been looking at uses of current recreational facilities and the need for new facilities. "We want to continue that effort," said the mayor.
    EDC (Economic Development Committee) — Councilman Thomas Dallessio has been working with this relatively new group in town. Mayor Padgett said, "New businesses have opened and Hopewell is now a place where people can set up business and do well. "
   HBA (Hopewell Business Association) also has played an active role. The mayor lauded the recent addition of the holiday snowflakes to poles along Broad Street — an HBA and EDC project.
   "Business will help take the tax burden off residents," said Mayor Padgett.
    Transportation and traffic — "Traffic continues to build up in the borough," said the mayor. Projections, he said, indicate that there "could be gridlock on Route 518 in a matter of years."
   Alternative methods of transportation are needed, such as rail and bus service. At this time, the Hopewell Planning Board is appointing a committee to look into the proposal that would create a train stop in town, if passenger service on the West Trenton Line is reactivated.
    Public works — Councilman David Mackie heads this area.
   Road improvement projects in the borough are being done with the help of state grant money. Recent projects have included Hart Avenue.
   A focus now is on Well No. 6, where levels of naturally-occurring arsenic have become a concern because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering more stringent standards that the well would fail to meet.
   Mr. Mackie has been working with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Stevens Institute of Technology on a pilot treatment project, which will be built this spring. Eventually, the project is expected to lead to a design for a full-treatment facility for Well No. 6, which currently is off-line. "Hopewell was the first in the state to address this issue" this way, said the mayor.
   "Thanks for a job well done in 2000," said the mayor to council members and the borough’s professional staff and employees.