Other ordinances also under consideration
By Aleen Crispino, Special Writer
Hopewell Borough Council introduced an ordinance Monday that, if adopted, would amend the noise regulations, revising the hours during which construction can take place in the borough, whether by a homeowner or a contractor.
The new noise ordinance would prohibit “excavation, grading, paving, erection, demolition, alteration or repair of any premises, street, building or structure” before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Saturdays and before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Sundays.
It also would restrict weekday construction work to between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The existing ordinance prohibits construction of any kind on Sundays. The hours of 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays remain the same.
The new proposal retains the limits placed by the old ordinance on many other types of noises, including sounds made by horns, whistles, drums, radios, TVs, stereos, loudspeakers, amplifiers, animals, birds, engine exhausts, defective vehicles, loading, opening or destroying containers, refuse collection and unnecessarily loud shouting, whistling or singing.
It prohibits the following activities from taking place in residential areas after 11 p.m. and before 7 a.m. — warming up or idling buses, trucks or tractors and repeated idling, acceleration, deceleration, starting or stopping of cars and motorcycles.
In addition, the new measure would restrict the use of lawn mowers and leaf blowers to between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sundays. No restrictions are placed on the use of snow blowers, which may be used at any time.
As has been the case, borough residents can call the Hopewell Township Police Department (737-3100) if they feel an individual or a business is in violation of the noise ordinance.
Council introduced a separate ordinance to clarify how noise levels are to be measured. Noise measurements must be made by an acoustical engineer using equipment conforming to USA Standards Institute specifications, and must be within state Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) standards.
A public hearing on both ordinances will be held April 6 followed by a vote by the council. While council meetings usually are held at 7 p.m. in Borough Hall on Columbia Ave., the April 6 meeting may take place at Hopewell Elementary School to accommodate a presentation by senior citizens, said Mayor Anzano. If a decision is made to hold the meeting at the elementary school, information will be posted at www.hopewellboro-nj.us.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, the council introduced two additional ordinances, which will receive public hearings April 6, followed by council votes.
The first pertains to fees collected by the borough from developers. The borough must keep this money in a trust fund and use it to provide low- and moderate-income housing. The amounts of the development fees would remain the same — 2.5 percent of the equalized assessed value of the property for nonresidential development and 1.5 percent for residential.
The revised ordinance adds “case law and the mechanics by which you have to spend the money or lose it,” returning unused monies to the state, said Borough Administrator/Clerk Michele Hovan.
”We have about $11,000 in a running balance” collected from developers, said Ms. Hovan.
The other proposal would appropriate $400,000 for road and drainage improvements to Blackwell Avenue from Broad Street to Railroad Place. It would authorize the borough to issue bonds totaling $400,000 to fund the project. A $275,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation is expected to defray more than two-thirds of the cost.
The council also adopted a resolution in support of that portion of state Senate Bill No. 2485, which would allow a municipality to set aside up to 25 percent of its affordable housing for persons who live or work in the municipality or within a 10-mile radius or who are emergency volunteers.
Hopewell Township passed a similar resolution at its last meeting, said Mayor Paul Anzano, and township officials asked the council to consider lending its support.
THE COUNCIL also voted unanimously to adopt two ordinances introduced in February. The first sets the library director’s salary at a range of $25,000 to $45,000 and the hourly rate for library staff from $9 to $24. The library’s board of trustees has appointed Richard A. Bidnick as the new library director. He will start his full-time duties in Hopewell Borough on March 16.
The second pertains to the Open Space Advisory Committee. Since 1999, the borough has sent two delegates to the committee, which also includes five members from Hopewell Township and two from Pennington Borough. Their participation now is covered by borough ordinance, and the borough may appoint two alternates rather than one.

