City gets $335,000 state grant

Money to be used to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety in Lambertville.

By: Cynthia Williamson
   LAMBERTVILLE — Cindy Ege remembers the recent August day she received a call on her cellphone from fellow City Council member Steve Stegman that almost "knocked me over."
   He called to tell Ms. Ege the $335,000 state grant she applied for on behalf of the city to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety had come through.
   Ms. Ege was on vacation at the time and had pulled off the road into a Michigan rest stop when she took the call.
   "We never even imagined we’d get it," said Ms. Ege, recalling her shrieks of joy must have perplexed strangers nearby. She had filed the grant application February.
   When Mayor David Del Vecchio formally recognized Ms. Ege at the council meeting Monday, she was quick to point out obtaining the grant was a "group effort."
   "A lot of people worked many hours on this," said Ms. Ege, who rattled off a list of names that included Barbara Fordyce, Jim Mastrich, John Strachen and Lambertville Public School Superintendent Richard Wiener.
   She also consulted with former Councilman Steve Frankel, who resigned from the council in July 2000 and moved out of the area. One of the things he lobbied for was pedestrian and bicycle safety and a state-funded study and improvements that now can be implemented with the grant.
   The council will appoint a committee to help it decide how to implement the grant that would earmark money for public restrooms in the central business district and two information kiosks Ms. Ege said they have discussed placing at Cavallo Park and Bridge Street near the Delaware and Raritan Canal.
   The grant also would fund such things as benches, bicycle racks, trash receptacles, curb ramps and lighting in targeted areas such as the central business district, busy intersections and the public area on North Main Street.
   The grant also includes an "education piece" that would be used to develop programs at local schools to educate children on pedestrian and bicycle safety.
   Ms. Ege said the city may have to dip into its community development funds to pay for some of the items that would not fully be covered by the grant, such as the restrooms.
   Mr. Del Vecchio said a committee would be appointed in the near future.