Paving and milling of Rogers Avenue and Stockton Street in Hightstown will not include the construction of curbs.
By: Marisa Maldonado
HIGHTSTOWN The paving and milling of Rogers Avenue and Stockton Street was approved at Monday’s Borough Council meeting but only after much discussion from business owners and a debate on whether the council should have approved the construction of curbs.
A $450,000 project for curbs, sidewalks and aprons will wait another five years as scheduled, much to the chagrin of residents living on the affected streets, who say the lack of curbs creates a safety hazard.
Borough officials expect the paving project to be completed by May 6. Mercer County is footing the bill for the work through a program designed to assist municipalities the borough is paying only for the paving materials.
Some business owners protested at the meeting, saying the borough did not notify them of the construction until April 12 or 13. They feared losing business because of road closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the week, when construction occurs.
"We’ve suffered through a few of these constructions," said Johnnie Whittington, owner of Johnnie’s Deli on Stockton Street. "You’re going to end up losing some really good supporters of the borough."
More business owners wanted to attend the meeting but could not, he said.
Mayor Robert Patten said putting in sidewalks would require extra time for the Borough Engineer to configure the project, which would take time, he said.
Three homeowners said they would want to put in their own curbs rather than wait for the borough to install them, said Borough Administrator Candace Gallagher.
Dan Buriak, a Stockton Street resident and former council member, said he and some of his neighbors already are talking to contractors about installing curbs privately.
"This is a significant safety issue," Mr. Buriak said. "This isn’t about being pretty, and it isn’t about anything else."
Snowplows sometimes drive onto his front yard because there are no curbs, he said, and the problem will not go away soon.
"For five years, you’re going to have a situation that’s only going to get worse," he said.
Councilwoman Nancy Walker-Laudenberger said she was concerned that the curbs would not be uniform if some residents built them ahead of time.
When it came time to make a decision, most of the council members wanted to wait to put curbs on the street. Only council President David Schneider was in favor of installing the curbing if the borough could get grant money.
The county has no such grant program, Mayor Robert Patten said.

