HOPEWELL BOROUGH COUNCIL UPDATE

200 plus residents want new borough facility question on November ballot

By: Catherine P. Moscarello
   On Tuesday night, Hopewell Borough Council accepted a petition presented by Hart Avenue resident, Sue Silvestri.
   The petition relates to the borough’s yet indefinite plans to construct a new municipal facility.
   In a prepared statement, Ms. Silvestri noted that 246 plus registered borough voters had signed the petition, asking for a public question on the November ballot to ascertain voters’ feelings about the expenditure of public money for the planning and construction of a new municipal building within the borough. She noted that only 123 names were needed, constituting 10 percent of the 1,228 registered voters in the borough.
   Based on information she received from James Hall at the Mercer County Board of Elections, Mrs. Silvestri stated that the petition document must be forwarded to that body by Sept. 7 in order to get on the ballot. She concluded by saying that "the people who were not canvassed (for this petition) should get out and vote Nov. 6. "Tell this council ‘no!’ Our taxes are high enough," she said.
   Today, Sept. 6, a Hopewell Borough official said it is unlikely the matter discussed in the petition will get on this November’s ballot. She is awaiting an opinion from the borough attorney.
   Mayor George Padgett declined to comment on the document since he had not had the opportunity to read what was presented.
   Although the architectural firm of HACBM/Hayden was selected in July to provide a design and cost analysis for redesign or construction of a new municipal complex, the council has not decided yet whether to pursue the project or not.
   Councilman David Nettles said the firm planned to begin conducting interviews with police and other municipal employees to assess needs for any new design.
   Council adopted an ordinance accepting the services of Comcast Cable for a 15-year period. Councilwoman Alice Huston said the pact works to the advantage of the borough in terms of public services, especially for the regional school district.
   Reporting on water services work on Hart Avenue, David Misiolek, water supervisor, made a plea to borough residents. "Please call the water department to shut off service if that should be necessary for plumbing repairs in a household."
   Apparently, a plumber recently took matters into his own hands, resulting in a break in the street connector unit and borough water employees were called in to repair the break.
   Mr. Misiolek asked borough engineer, Dennis O’Neal, to investigate the possibility of an interconnection with Elizabethtown Water Co. following two recent breaks in the joints of the old mains along Route 518. "There’s about 500 feet of 4-inch pipe that runs across the road and there are joints at about every 8 feet." These are old lines from the early 1950s and the mains are 4-inch mains.
   Mr. O’Neal reported that the pilot study being conducted at Well #6 by Stevens Institute of Technology would commence this month. Using a small-scale plant about the size of a 55-gallon drum, SIT will test a process that removes or reduces levels of arsenic in public water supplies.
   Faced with unacceptable levels of arsenic that were still within federal guidelines, Hopewell Borough shut down Well #6 several months ago and the SIT study will concentrate its experimental work on water from that well.
   Council adopted a resolution permitting fireworks at the Hopewell Harvest Fair. Borough resident, Mary Ann Trautman of Columbia Avenue, expressed concern that fireworks should be used with caution if dry weather conditions persist.
   Todd Poole of Lafayette Street commended council on new crosswalk stripes and requested that "Yield to Pedestrian" signs be installed soon. Mr. Nettles reported that those signs are on order and will be in place very soon. Mr. Nettles noted that the rumble strips installed on Greenwood and Princeton Avenues have proven effective in reducing speeding on borough streets.
   Borough residents will continue to hear train whistles in the night, according to Mr. Nettles. At a meeting he attended with Mayor Padgett, officials of the National Railroad Board said it is a regulation that trains must sound their whistles before going over grade crossings (such at that on Louellen Street) and engineers would be mandated to do so even if the borough adopted an ordinance prohibiting it. NRR officials promised the use of some restraint on the length and volume of the soundings, however.
   Councilman Tom Dallessio said town businesses are being encouraged to take part in the local celebrations and more snowflake decorations are planned for the east end of Broad Street during the winter holiday season.
   Working with area resident, Michelle Flynn and Director of Public Works Herb Ruehle, Councilwoman Huston was able to report some progress in the upgrade of the mini-park next to the railroad station. Dangerous and broken equipment was removed from the park and replacements will be installed soon. Several local landscapers have agreed to provide services to fix the erosion around the steps leading to the sliding board and some groundcover chips will be placed as an interim measure around the playground equipment.
   Concerns about lighting the area still are being addressed and Ms. Flynn is trying to get a table and benches so residents will have a place to sit and enjoy their treats from the new ice cream business across the street from the park.
   Traffic within the park has increased noticeably since the business began operations in early August — bringing borough attention to the needs for work in the mini-park.
   Councilman David Mackie said a new truck and leaf sucker are needed for the borough’s Department of Public Works. A bond ordinance will be required to finance purchases. "As the fall season unfolds, we can’t be short on equipment," he said. A short-term solution may be found by asking for shared services assistance from the township.
   Mr. Mackie informed council that he is now a full-time graduate student and one of his classes this semester meets from 7 to 10 p.m. on Monday nights, conflicting with council meetings. Mayor Padgett agreed to work on resolving this issue so that Mr. Mackie can continue his study and his service to the borough.
   Municipal Clerk and Chief Financial Officer Hilary Fortenbaugh cautioned council about potential finance problems in the areas of legal fees and engineering fees. "We are now $2,000 short of what we spent all of last year in legal fees and we have only $5,000 available for engineering fees for the year."