Beacon review of 2011: The year that was

Part II

Ruth Luse
   Editor’s note: In the following account is a review of events that took place during the second six months of 2011, as reported in The Beacon.
   — JULY — A plan to purchase and save the landmark Bucks County Playhouse that was sidelined by a crowded field of potential buyers was moving forward full force, with reports that one of the interested parties had fallen out. Despite the forward movement, it came too late to bring the 72-year-old theater along the banks of the Delaware River back to life for a summer season in 2011.
   — A $194,000 federal grant for flood control of Ely Creek would “help the whole section of Lambertville near the creek,” Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio said. “It’ll mean that, unlike now, we’ll be able to handle a 25-year storm without any flooding,” he said. With the firm of Princeton Hydro handling the job, the city had begun work on obtaining the permits needed for actual construction.
   Council voted to purchase 40 rebuilt parking meter heads in addition to the 300 it had already purchased. Replacement of all 340 of Lambertville’s parking meter heads was expected to be finished by the end of that week.
   — An ordinance prohibiting “unreasonably or unnecessarily loud” noise was adopted by a 3-2 vote of the Stockton Borough Council. Exempt from the ordinance are church bells or chimes and snow blowers.
   — Stockton Borough Council had decided the town’s community garden should stay at Prallsville Mill, Clerk Michele Hovan said. “The garden has been successful, and it’s working well now,” Ms. Hovan said. She said that, in addition to local people being able to grow their own food there, “some crops have been delivered to senior citizens and to the Lambertville Food Bank” as donations.
   — An ordinance tightening city regulations on construction on steep slopes was adopted by the Lambertville City Council. “This will make it tougher to build in the most sensitive parts of the community,” Mayor Del Vecchio said. — An ordinance focusing on consumption and possession of alcohol on private property by anyone under 21 was adopted by Lambertville City Council. “This ordinance comes at the request of the Hunterdon County prosecutor’s office,” said Mayor Del Vecchio. The ordinance say that anyone found in violation of the measure can be fined $250 for a first offense and $350 for subsequent offenses. The court also may suspend a guilty party’s driving privileges for six months. There are two exceptions.
   — Lambertville Tax Collector Bonnie Eick still had her job. The City Council voted to rescind her retirement, which members accepted recently. “You’re still here, Bonnie,” Mayor Del Vecchio said to Ms. Eick after the vote. At the June 20 council meeting, after Ms. Eick had filed for retirement, council voted unanimously to make the tax collector’s position a part-time one. Ms. Eick had been full-time and would continue to be full-time.
   — A feasibility study on whether the elementary school districts of Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell should join the South Hunterdon Regional High School district form one school district was under way. The South Hunterdon Regional High School Board of Education voted unanimously July 21 to hire the consulting firm Porzio Bromberg & Newman to do the study to determine if there are financial and/or educational benefits in blending the four existing school districts into one. The board’s vote authorizes spending up to $50,000 on the study. According to a website, Porzio Bromberg & Newman has several offices, two of which — Morristown and Princeton — are located in New Jersey.
   The Regionalization Committee was created after residents voted April 27 to allow the district to spend up to $50,000 to pay for the feasibility study. The committee includes: Lambertville — Grant Miller (LPS), John Livingston (LPS), Vice Chairman Steve Wolock (community resident and former member of the LPS board), Karen Conlon (community resident) and Chairman Seiter (SHRHS); West Amwell — Peter Gasparro (WAES), John Dupuis (WAES), Cindy Magill (community resident), Nicole Claus (SHRHS) and Dave Beaumont (community resident); Stockton — Jim Gallagher and Diane Walker-Torkelson (both board members). School professionals from the four schools are serving the committee in an advisory capacity.
   According to Porzio’s proposal, the cost of the study would not exceed $44,250.
   The group expected to begin collecting data in August and September, and planned to provide a preliminary report to the Regionalization Committee. This report is expected in late fall 2011. A final report is expected to be released at a subsequent public meeting during the 2011-12 school year.
   — Gregg Rackin, mayor of Stockton Borough from 2002-06, had become a member of the South Hunterdon Regional Board of Education. Mr. Rackin was appointed to the board July 21. He replaced Donald Vandegrift, who resigned. Mr. Rackin’s appointment to the board runs through the school election in April 2012. Mr. Vandegrift’s unexpired term on the board ends in April 2013. If Mr. Rackin wants to finish the last year of that unexpired term, he would have to run in April.
   — Nearly $384,000 in additional state aid the South Hunterdon Regional High School District would receive would be used for tax relief next year, schools Superintendent Nancy Gartenberg said. Approved at that month’s meeting was the revised contract of South Hunterdon’s school business administrator, Kerry Sevilis. Under the contract, Ms. Sevilis’ annual salary for 2011-12 would be $93,634.
   — A persistent problem with agricultural odors bothering a resident who lives near a farm was discussed at length during the July 27 West Amwell Township Committee meeting. JoAnne Speranza, of Rocktown-Lambertville Road, told the committee she continued to be significantly distressed by odors coming from the nearby farm of Robert Fulper. Mr. Fulper’s farm also is on Rocktown-Lambertville Road. Used as a nutrient on Mr. Fulper’s crops was a by-product of food manufacturing he obtains from Johanna Foods’ nearby plant, in Flemington. At the meeting, he said use of the nutrient increased the size of his crop significantly. Township officials said they had contacted Johanna Foods about the issue, but had found the firm unresponsive. The issue was left unresolved. Mr. Fulper said he would continue to try to minimize the impact of the nutrient. At the same meeting, the committee accepted the resignation of Patrolman Dennis “Kelly” Kendig from the township’s police department.
   — AUGUST —West Amwell officials were considering how to move ahead with the results on an in-depth study of Alexauken Creek. The creek, which runs into the Delaware River, is the largest body of water in the township, said Cathy Urbanski, who chaired the township’s Environmental Commission.
   Officials also were looking at the financial options involved in repairing a 12-year-old breach in a dam on the Alexauken Creek. Built in 1928, the dam created one of three lakes on the Amwell Conservancy, near Queen Road.
   — The Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce and Lambertville Chamber of Commerce had announced a three-week extension of Friday Night Fireworks, the “spectacle of lights over the Delaware River.” Due to high waters in June and early July, the Chambers had canceled several events. So, they planned three extra weeks of fireworks, including Sept. 9, 16 and 23.
   — More than 200 Lambertville residents, who had flood insurance, were expected to save about $140 per year on flood insurance now that the city had joined a federal program that rewards homeowners for making extra efforts to reduce their exposure to flooding. The program is the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System (CRS), which provides discounts for flood insurance premiums within the 100-year floodplain.
   — The West Amwell and Lambertville school districts had hired a new superintendent, who would oversee both districts, said West Amwell school board president Peter Gasparro. Under an agreement between the two districts, West Amwell would pay 60 percent of the cost of paying the superintendent; Lambertville would pay 40 percent. The new superintendent is Michael Kozak, whose previous job was in Gloucester County. He replaced Todd Fay, who resigned at the end of the 2010-11 school year.
   — A proposed $10,000 bond ordinance for a Swan Creek flood control project was introduced by Lambertville City Council. The measure was set for a public hearing and adoption vote at the council’s Sept. 19 meeting. Mayor Del Vecchio said the proposed ordinance “came out of a meeting we had at Congressman Rush Holt’s office” about flooding problems with Swan Creek, which periodically flooded Swan Street, Ferry Street and other streets in the southern end of town. If adopted, the proposal would fund a study of the possibility of building a pumping station.
   — Work was expected to begin within a month on repairing a 12-year-old breach in a dam on Alexauken Creek now that a loan agreement between three property owners, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and West Amwell Township had been finalized. Built in 1928, the dam created one of three lakes on the Amwell Conservancy, near Queen Road, where all three of the property owners live. Known as Amwell No. 2 Dam, the damaged dam sits on a manmade 17-acre lake in the northwest quadrant of the township, near Route 202.
   — The four local school districts were preparing for the 2011-12 school year in September, but Hurricane Irene came first.
   The hurricane caused quite a mess for many in West Amwell Township and Stockton Borough over the last weekend in August. Electric power — the loss of which was a big concern — finally was restored to West Amwell Township at about 9 a.m. Aug. 28. There was lots of tree and property damage. In Stockton, Wilson Drive and Broad Street sustained significant damage from flash flooding, Mayor Stephen Giocondo said: “In addition, this flood caused many first floors and basements to flood and several cars were totaled from water damage, not to mention many scarred yards and driveways.” Power was still out for many as of this report. “The wonderful news we have now is that the (Delaware) river is cresting at Stockton today at 18.6 feet and that is well below what we can handle, which is 22 feet.” There was flooding at the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge in both directions between Solebury in Pennsylvania and Stockton. All lanes were closed to traffic. According to the National Weather Service, Irene’s Stockton-area impacts included: Main Street, Stockton, flooded; entrance to Bull Island State Park, closed; Railroad Avenue, flooded; Mill Street, flooded,
   Electric power was restored to almost all of Lambertville at about 9 a.m. Aug. 28., city officials said. The power had been shut off by Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) for safety reasons. City Clerk Cindy Ege said 43 properties in the city still did not have power because their electric meters had been under water. Work on restoring power to those houses was under way. The Delaware crested in Lambertville at about 2: 30 p.m. Aug. 27 at 12.74 feet, officials said. Flood stage is 13 feet.
   City Hall was still without power the evening of Aug. 27, but the City Council held a special meeting anyway and unanimously passed a number of measures related to roadwork and other projects, Clerk Cindy Ege said.
   — SEPTEMBER — On Sept. 1, a new statewide anti-bullying law went into effect. The law, the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, was signed by Gov. Chris Christie the previous January. It put in place new reporting requirements for any act of harassment, intimidation or bullying (HIB) by students against students. Locally, school districts were getting ready to address the law.
   — Plans to raise money for the beautification of Ely Park, through the second annual Shore Dinner fundraiser, had been “beached.” Instead of patronizing the planned Sept. 11 dinner, Jim Hamilton’s Friends of Ely Park board of directors now was asking area residents to focus on supporting local restaurants. Jim Mastrich, Ely Park president, said the community spirit that defines the Ely Park project would be better focused on helping local restaurants and businesses battered by the recent hurricane. “With the success of last year’s fundraiser, we were looking forward a 2011 last hurrah to summer again, but there’s a greater need,” said Mr. Mastrich. “In light of the stress on our community from Irene, we instead encourage people to patronize local restaurants over the weekend. They’ve been hard hit,” Mr. Mastrich said.
   —Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio hailed as “great news” President Barack Obama’s decision to extend the federal government’s disaster assistance to all 21 counties in New Jersey. “It means residents and businesses who sustained damage during Hurricane Irene can apply to FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for grants, loans and other aid,” the mayor said.
   — Damage caused by fast-moving floodwaters from Swan Creek during Hurricane Irene prompted Lambertville officials to investigate how United Water New Jersey operated Lambertville Dam during the severe storm. “The part of town we’re concerned about are streets near Swan Creek, due west of the dam,” Mayor Del Vecchio said. He said the city had asked United Water a series of questions in an effort to get a detailed account of how the water company, which operates the dam, handled the dam during the storm. Once United Water had responded to the city’s questions about the operation of the dam during Irene, council planned to hold a public meeting on the issue.
   — The Lambertville Dam was fine, according to city officials and United Water New Jersey, which operates the dam. “The structural integrity of the dam is fine,” the mayor reported. United Water New Jersey inspected the dam after Hurricane Irene passed through. The dam had been inspected three times during the previous week.
   — According to Betty Jane Hunt, of the West Amwell Township Agriculture Advisory Committee, the agriculture dinner gave us “sense of community.” The dinner was held at the West Amwell Firehouse. Volunteer chefs included Cindy Fulper, Sal Gandolfo, Bill Gill, Bernie Meader, Angelo Peluso, Greg Sappington and John Sneddon. Others who helped were Karen Baldino, Irma Fuhr, Breanna Fulper, Ruth Hall, Jim Hurly, Rich Maurer, Bernie Meader, Susan Molnar, Tom Molnar, Hal Shute, Heidi Tomenchok, Rob Tomenchok, Cathy Urbanski and Ms. Hunt. The dinner was enjoyed by approximately 70 guests who all had plenty to eat.
   — Emergency appropriations to cover expenses incurred by Hurricane Irene were approved by the Lambertville City Council. The appropriations covered $59,698 in repairs to roads and related structures and $17,000 for overtime to municipal employees. The expenses involved getting residents safely in and out of their homes, putting out extra dumpsters to deal with the deluge of trash generated by the hurricane and other costs.
   The meeting involved a long talk among officials of United Water, the council and the more than 100 residents who attended the meeting, about the flash flooding of Swan Creek onto city streets during the hurricane. The upshot of the discussions, the mayor said, was that the city would work with United Water on developing an early-warning system for residents near the creek.
   — Stockton Borough Council meeting was dominated by discussion of the effects of Hurricane Irene, borough Clerk Michele Hovan said. The rapid flooding of water into Stockton along downhill county Route 523 was a major concern, Ms. Hovan said. Borough engineer, Dennis O’Neal, would work with the county on a permanent solution to that problem,” she said. Another major problem, she said, and one that the United Water Company had done much to alleviate, was the collapse of the Delaware and Raritan Canal wall.
   An audit of the borough’s finances revealed that the town was doing an excellent job of handling its money.
   — The Lambertville-New Hope Ambulance and Rescue Squad would start billing patients Oct. 1, squad president Pat Pittore said. The squad would charge $625 for transporting a patient, plus $11 a mile, Mr. Pittore said. There would be no charge for treating patients who are not transported, he said. A detailed list explaining why the squad had decided to do this was listed in the September account.
   — A new section of West Amwell’s construction code was added under an ordinance adopted by the Township Committee on Sept. 28, Municipal Clerk Lora Olsen said. The new section pertains to mechanical devices, such as boilers, furnaces and oil tanks. Inspections of these devices will be required. A fee will be charged for the inspection.
   Also at the Sept. 28 meeting, the committee adopted an ordinance that set standards for a Clean-Up Day, which was expected to be scheduled soon. A bridge on a township-owned tract of land — known as the Toll tract — would be repaired under an emergency appropriation, Ms. Olsen said. The bridge, off Route 179, was washed away during Hurricane Irene.
   — OCTOBER — The South Hunterdon Regionalization Committee would hold the second of two “town hall” meetings for the purpose of discussing the ongoing regionalization study on Oct. 12 at the Lambertville Justice Center. The first session was held Oct. 5 in West Amwell. The feasibility study was on track. The study was expected to be complete in December. When results are available, additional town hall meetings will be held. The South Hunterdon Regional High School Board of Education hired Porzio Bromberg & Newman to do the study in July.
   — The removal of trees from Ely Creek and an excavation of the creek that made it deeper and wider were funded by a $55,000 emergency appropriation approved by the Lambertville City Council on Oct. 4, Mayor Del Vecchio said. Due to Hurricane Irene, the creek “flooded four times during a two-week period,” the mayor said. The emergency appropriation also covered costs of putting out Dumpsters for residents to use after Irene, which generated a large extra amount of trash. The appropriation also provided for up to $29,623 for the purchase of new police car. The new car would replace a vehicle that was totaled during the hurricane.
   — A rounded corner at the intersection of Swan Street and Route 165 in Lambertville was being made perpendicular in response to residents’ concerns about pedestrian safety, Mayor Del Vecchio said.
   — Weather for the Lambertville Historical Society Autumn House Tour was predicted to be sunny, with a high near 67 degrees. That was good news after Irene and many other rain events.
   — Stockton Borough Councilman Andrew Dougherty had resigned because he had moved out of town, borough Clerk Michele Hovan said. Mr. Dougherty’s had moved to nearby Solebury, Pennsylvania, Ms. Hovan said.
   At a council meeting, officials introduced an ordinance under which Stockton could purchase a “trash rack” that would be installed at the bottom of the hill where Route 523 enters town. This would catch stones, branches and other debris when that road floods. Council also agreed to apply to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) for funding to make surface and drainage improvements to Wilson Drive in 2012. The application continued a longstanding pattern of seeking funding from the DOT to improve one street or road in the borough each year. Officials also voted to renew, for three more years, a joint municipal court contract with Delaware and East Amwell townships.
   — The process through which the three local elementary school districts — Lambertville, West Amwell and Stockton — could merge into one school district with South Hunterdon Regional High School District was explained in detail Oct. 12 by members of a firm hired to do a feasibility study of the idea. Dr. Lloyd Leschuk and Kerri Wright, of Porzio, Bromberg and Newman, met with residents and officials at the Lambertville Justice Center Oct. 12 to discuss the feasibility study and explain the rigorous process, regulated by state law, under which the four districts could merge into one.
   ”The outcome of whether to regionalize is dictated by the voters,” Ms. Wright said.
   The issue of whether to regionalize would go to the county superintendent of schools, provided a majority of all the school boards and municipal governments of the area proposed for regionalization voted in favor of going to the next step. If those majority votes are all cast, the county superintendent would write an “advisability report” that would state the superintendent’s opinion on whether regionalization is worth pursuing. The municipal governments would have 30 days from the receipt of the county superintendent’s report to petition the commissioner of the state Department of Education for permission to hold a public referendum on regionalization. (Here again, a majority vote of the all the municipal governments and school boards would be required for filing that petition). If the petition were filed, the Department of Education would form a board of review that would hold public meetings on the proposed regionalization. That board would then decide if a referendum could be held. For regionalization to take place, the referendum would have to pass in all three towns.
   — An ordinance under which people who move to Lambertville could get a temporary residential parking permit was adopted by the City Council. The temporary permit will give the newcomers, some of whom move into town from out of state, time to obtain the New Jersey car registration, title and license plates needed to obtain a permanent permit. The permanent permit fee of $45 must be paid in order to obtain a temporary permit.
   Council passed a resolution authorizing a contract under which up to $15,800 could be spent on decorative parking meter pole bases, meter pole sleeves and pole collars, as well as adapters needed to attach the items to the meters.
   Council passed a resolution authorizing a contract under which the Newark firm of Bristol-Donald Inc. could be paid up to $12,765 for a replacement body for one of the city’s dump trucks. Bristol-Donald submitted the lower of two bids.
   — The Lambertville Drum and Bugle Corps was honored on the occasion of its 80th birthday at the City Council’s Oct. 17 meeting. Also honored was Lambertville’s John Price “Jack” Lindsley, who had been a member of the city’s Columbia Fire Company for 75 years. Mr. Lindsley was honored when a proclamation celebrating his next birthday was read aloud. He would turn 100 on Nov. 28.
   — South Hunterdon Regional High School’s average SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores had exceeded both the state and national averages, Superintendent Nancy Gartenberg reported at the Oct. 20 school board meeting. “Great news for South Hunterdon Regional,” she said.
   — A proposal to turn a long-out-of-service section of right of way, or trackline, of the Black and Western Railroad into a walking and biking trail was heard by the West Amwell Township Committee Oct. 28. No formal plan had been filed with any government agency about creating the trail. “It’s still in the conceptual stage,” Ms. Olsen said.
   — Lambertville was installing a new reverse 9-1-1 system that would quickly send emergency information to homes, businesses and cell-phone users. “Hurricane Irene taught us that we needed to find a more effective way to get emergency information to people here,” Mayor David Del Vecchio said. The new system was being installed by the firm Swift 911, under a $1,200 contract recently approved by the City Council.
   — A late October nor’easter dumped 4 to 6 inches of snow on Lambertville and, backed by winds, brought down trees and branches onto power lines, causing a loss of power to significant portions of the city, Lambertville’s emergency coordinator, David Burd, said. The same was true of many areas in West Amwell Township and Stockton Borough.
   Power outages were a major problem for many in the southern Hunterdon area. “JCP&L (Jersey Central Power & Light) is working around the clock to restore power. They anticipated power would be restored to 95 percent of the residents by Nov. 3 and to 100 percent by Nov. 4. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as we receive them,” City Clerk Cindy Ege said.
   Hunterdon County locations offering water and ice to JCP&L customers included: South County Garage (West Amwell Township); Flemington ShopRite (Raritan Township, Route 202/31); and Clinton ShopRite (Franklin Township, Walmart Plaza).
   A regional shelter was operating in Building 1 of the Route 12 County Complex, Flemington, with assistance of the American Red Cross and Hunterdon County CERT and Hunterdon County Health Department staff members. South Hunterdon Regional High School’s Homecoming Dance was postponed Saturday night, because of the storm. The school also had a two-hour delayed opening Monday due to problems caused by the storm.
   Stockton Borough Clerk Michele Hovan said that, to her knowledge, power had been restored to everywhere in the borough, but Broad Street. No other significant problems resulted from the storm, she said.
   According to Lt. Stephen J. Bartzak, of the West Amwell Township Police Department, “patrols responded to 22 storm-related complaints from Saturday through late morning Tuesday.
   These complaints included “trees across roadways, wires down, alarms and responses with fire rescue on transformer fires. Numerous roadways were closed for periods between 24 and 36 hours due to wires and trees blocking the roadway. Police patrols maintained traffic control in four-hour intervals in both the morning and evening rush hours at the intersection of Route 31 and Linvale-Harbourton Road to ensure motorist safety and alleviate congestion,” Lt. Bartzak said.
   — NOVEMBER — In the Nov. 8 elections in Lambertville, incumbent Democrats Beth Asaro and Elaine Warner swept easily to victory Tuesday in a three-way race for two seats on the Lambertville City Council. Ms. Asaro and Ms. Warner received 572 and 569 votes respectively. Republican challenger Stephen Robbins finished a distant third, with 284 votes. In West Amwell, incumbent Republican Thomas Molnar won a three-year term on the West Amwell Township Committee. He received 321 votes. In Stockton Borough, incumbent Democrats Neal Esposito and Kathryn Steffanelli faced no opposition for three-year terms on the Borough Council in Tuesday’s election. They received 99 and 92 votes respectively.
   — Congressman Rush Holt joined Lambertville Mayor Del Vecchio and other city officials Nov 12 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the city’s sewage treatment plant where major improvements had been completed. — A new member of the Stockton Borough Council took the oath of office. He is Democrat Aaron Lipsen, who replaced Andrew Dougherty, also a Democrat, according to Borough Clerk Michele Hovan. Mr. Lipsen’s appointment runs through the rest of Mr. Dougherty’s unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31, 2012. Council adopted an ordinance that authorized Stockton to spend $15,000 on a metal grate, or trash rack, to be installed where county Route 523 runs downhill into the borough, at Wilson Drive. The device was being installed to catch water-borne debris during downhill flooding, such as what occurred during Hurricane Irene and other recent storms, before it can get into a 36-inch wide drainage pipe.
   — A contract to continue work on drainage problems at the South Hunterdon Regional High School football field was approved by the school board at its Nov. 17 meeting, according to school district Business Administrator/Board Secretary Kerry Sevilis.
   — A resolution authorizing Lambertville to purchase electricity online, in an auction format, was passed by the City Council. The electricity purchased in this way can be used by the city or by the South Hunterdon Regional Energy Co-op (SHREC), of which Lambertville is a member. Mayor Del Vecchio and other officials estimated that purchasing the electricity this way can save the city between 11 and 18 percent on electric bills.
   — City officials scored a victory for the residents of the 129-home Lambert’s Hill development. Orleans Homebuilders, the firm that built Lambert’s Hill, went bankrupt before finishing required work on roads, sidewalks, landscaping and other areas. Officials and residents had been working for months to get Orleans to agree to finish that work. That agreement was finally in hand. At the Nov. 21 City Council meeting, the mayor said Orleans had agreed to begin work on finishing the roads very soon, with the goal being to finish the job before winter hits.
   — Lambertville’s John Price “Jack” Lindsley turned 100 Nov. 28. He was honored with a party at Doylestown Hospital, where he volunteers on Mondays. “It was only fitting that the hospital threw a party to commemorate the man who’s devoted more than 9,000 hours to the hospital since 1991,” said a spokeswoman. He continues to volunteer each week.
   — DECEMBER — The Lambertville-New Hope Winter Festival planning committee officially launched the 2012 edition of the festival website. Planners have selected the New Hope, Lambertville and Solebury parks and recreation departments and local food bank (Fisherman’s Mark) as the primary recipients of festival proceeds this year. For complete information on Winter Festival, visit www.winterfestival.net[email protected][email protected].
   — The streets of the Lambert’s Hill development had been paved at last, Lambertville Mayor Del Vecchio said. And soon, the city plans to provide the development’s homeowners association with money, obtained from the developer of Lambert’s Hill, to fix sidewalks and do landscaping work that was supposed to be done by the developer.
   Council also adopted an ordinance amending the fees for dog and cat licensing and passed a resolution authorizing a contract with the firm of Top Line Construction to do work on Delavan Street.
   — Lambertville Police Director Bruce Cocuzza had been honored by the New Jersey State League of Municipalities for his work in police training programs. He received the award in November in Atlantic City. The director was recognized for his work as its representative on the Police Training Commission.