By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
MANVILLE — As the winter season approaches, Michele Chwiedosiuk, of the European Deli on South Main Street, asked the Borough Council whether any progress had been made on regaining parking spaces outside of the businesses on Main Street.
”As the weather gets colder, it will become more of a hazard to people coming to the stores,” she said at last week’s Borough Council meeting.
Borough Administrator Gary Garwacke said Tuesday that the borough has plans for closing off several streets – namely South Fifth Avenue, Beekman Street and Filak Avenue. Mr. Garwacke said borough officials have met with state and county representatives for suggestions about street closures and have narrowed it down to these possibilities.
The next step, Mr. Garwacke said, is to meet with business owners at these streets to get feedback on the plan.
”We have to meet with the affected owners to see if they are agreeable,” he said. “That should happen with the next few weeks.”
If a consensus is reached from the business owners, Mr. Garwacke said the borough can move forward with looking into the costs of closing off the streets, which will probably require curbs, sidewalk and drainage work, among other necessities before people can begin to park on the streets.
Once the plan is complete, Mr. Garwacke said, it can go before the Mayor and Council for approval, before being submitted to the state and county for approvals.
In total, Mr. Garwacke said, the borough is looking to create about 22 new parking spaces if the three streets are closed.
According to the county, the borough lost between 10 and 12 parking spaces on Main Street in July 2007, about seven months after the road was repaved.

