Tee-Ar sidewalk plan in Princeton Township takes a step

By: Rachel Silverman
   Princeton Township approved a $36,000 Tee-Ar Place improvement project Monday night as it moved forward on the last of four renovation projects set to spruce up the neighborhood between Princeton Shopping Center and Franklin Avenue.
   The ordinance, which was introduced March 7, calls for the installation of sidewalks on the eastern side of Tee-Ar Place — between Clearview and Franklin avenues.
   "The improvement project would construct a sidewalk on the eastern side of Tee-Ar Place, with the neighbors on both sides sharing equally in the cost," Township Engineer Robert Kiser said, referring to the fact that all Tee-Ar neighbors have agreed to chip in to the cause, regardless of whether the sidewalk will front their home or not.
   Other improvements to Tee-Ar Place include planting canopy trees, changing road configuration to discourage traffic flow and constructing Belgian block curbing on both sides of street.
   Ornamental lighting fixtures, an improvement requested by the neighbors, is not part of the construction project at this point, and it will come up in a separate ordinance in the future, Mr. Kiser said.
   "It’s been a pleasure to see the neighbors work together on this," Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand said. "It’s been a real study on how neighborhoods and democracies should be working."
   The larger neighborhood improvement project, under which the Tee-Ar Place project falls, also aims to enhance Grover, Durann and Clearview avenues.
   The $42,000 Grover project authorizes the installation, repair and replacement of sidewalks along Grover Avenue between Franklin Avenue and a point roughly 250 feet north of Clearview Avenue.
   The $70,000 Clearview ordinance calls for sidewalks along both sides of the street over the entire distance from Grover Avenue to Harrison Street.
   On Durann Avenue, plans call for the installation of Belgian block curbing along both sides of the street, to the tune of $26,000.
   "We’re going out for bid on this project and should receive bids by the end of the month. We’ll be getting to construction in June," Mr. Kiser said.