CRANBURY: More downtown parking among committee’s goals

By David Kilby, Staff Writer
   CRANBURY — Implementation of the new Master Plan and creating more parking for downtown are the main common goals of the Township Committee this year, but each member of the committee also had their own goals to share at the committee meeting Jan. 24.
   Two new committeemen, Dan Mulligan and Glenn Johnson, join Mayor Win Cody, Dave Cook and Jay Taylor in the township’s decision-making this year.
   The committee is nearly balanced in its political parties with three Republicans and two Democrats.
   Mayor Cody said that, as a new member of the Planning Board, his main concern is helping to implement the new Master Plan, which presents the town with another balancing act.
   In implementing the new Master Plan, the planning and zoning boards will work on smart development along Route 130 and right outside the downtown while not harming the businesses downtown.
   As part of the Downtown Revitalization Subcommittee, Mr. Mulligan hopes to help create more parking for downtown while getting feedback from businesses to explore other ways to keep them in business.
   As part of the Computer Subcommittee, Mr. Mulligan said he would like to move forward with updating the township website, cranburytownship.org, and possibly helping to improve the police website.
   He also would like to see more communication between the Planning Board and zoning board — as the boards had with a joint meeting Jan. 19 — since implementation of the Master Plan will depend on dialogue between those two boards.
   Mr. Mulligan also mentioned he would like to have a discussion about term limits for the township’s positions.
   Committeeman Cook, as liaison to the Cranbury Housing Association, hopes to find ways to create more affordable housing in Cranbury while helping to maintain the town’s character.
   ”This is a moving target, but it does seem to be moving in the right direction,” he said.
   As liaison to the township engineer, Mr. Cook will convey to the county that the township isn’t ready to improve the Liberty Way bridge.
   ”I’ll be part of the process of making it clear to the county that this is not a project the township can afford,” he said.
   Also, the county must address the New Jersey Department of Transportation before moving forward with improvements to the bridge.
   While working with Mr. Mulligan on the Downtown Revitalization Subcommittee, Mr. Cook agrees finding ways to increase parking downtown is the “number one priority” for the subcommittee, he said.
   Mr. Cook also hopes to acquire more open space for the township this year, he said.
   Committeeman Taylor, as liaison to the police, Fire Department and First Aid Squad, hopes to promote more dialogue between the three groups through monthly meetings.
   He is also hopeful about the new lateral system (to be built) and pole barn for the Public Works trucks since this will bring down the maintenance costs of Public Works vehicles.
   Mr. Johnson, as liaison to Human Services, hopes to help the board.
   ”In the Human Services Board, we have had two chairpeople in the past year,” Mr. Johnson said.
   He said his main goal will be to get replacements for the chairpersons who have resigned.
   ”It’s primarily a matter of recruitment,” he said.
   He also will help in the reforestation process that will take place as the township receives money for trees to replace those torn down in the widening of the Turnpike. The township plans to buy 2,556 trees, with $766,704 of money from the Turnpike Authority and the state Department of Environmental Protection, in the upcoming first phase of the reforestation process and plant them on the Hagerty property on Old Cranbury Road.
   Mr. Johnson also is convinced parking in the downtown area is a big issue.
   ”We’ve got to make some headway this year,” he said, regarding parking downtown.