By John Tredrea, Special Writer
LAMBERTVILLE An ordinance requiring all taxicab and livery drivers to be fingerprinted was introduced by a unanimous vote of the Lambertville City Council on Feb. 21, according to City Clerk Cindy Ege.
The ordinance is required to put the city into conformity with a new state law, Ms. Ege said.
Also under the proposed measure, Lambertville has the right to auction taxicab licenses, which cost $300. Under the new ordinance, the city would start the bidding for each license at $300. The auctions would have to be advertised in advance in a legal notice.
Also at the meeting, Ms. Ege said, the council voted unanimously to introduce a $100,000 bond ordinance for purchase of a refurbished garbage truck for the city’s Public Works Department and a Chevrolet Tahoe for the city’s Police Department.
Adopted by a unanimous council vote was a $6,000 bond ordinance for an application to the state’s Green Acres program for a major upgrade to Cavallo Park.
Green Acres is an agency that works to preserve land as open space and put land to public recreational use.
An answer from Green Acres on the city’s request for a $490 grant for the park is expected in August, said Megan Ruf of the city’s Recreation Commission.
”We want to do a complete and total rehabilitation of the park, which is mainly used by tots young children,” Ms. Ruf said Monday.
Planned is a new play structure for tots, with slides and climbers.
”We also want to do an addition to an existing play structure for tots,” Ms. Ruf said.
A new entrance for the park would have water fountains and an kiosk with information about the park and the city.
”There would be a map of the town and information about places in Lambertville and upcoming special events in town,” Ms. Ruf said. “Inside the park would be a pavilion with a fireplace and an area for barbecues and picnics that could be rented.”
The plans also call for replacing a fence near a pond and putting a fenced “outlook” from which tots and others could safely watch waterfowl. Movies also are in the offing, to be shown on a screen that could be set up in front of a berm in the park.
Other planned amenities include a pathway around the perimeter of the park.
”It would be a safe place for kids to bike and to learn how to ride bikes,” Ms. Ruf said. “With the amount of traffic in town and all the driveways, it can be hard to find a safe place to do that.”
The central area of the park would be left open, she said, “for soccer, playing tag and the like.”
As Green Acres processes the city application, Friends of Cavallo Park, a nonprofit grass roots organization, will be trying to raise funds on its own for the park, Ms. Ruf said.
Also adopted by unanimous votes were ordinances amending the city’s existing fire prevention and flood damage control ordinances. If adopted as expected, these amendments will put the language of those ordinances into conformity with state law, Mayor David Del Vecchio said.
Also passed by the council on Monday night, the mayor said, was a resolution authorizing him to sign a contract with Otis Elevator for the maintenance of the elevator at City Hall.
Another resolution passed Monday night authorizes him to sign a contract with Magellan Hill for phone services for the city.
Another resolution passed Monday night authorizes awarding a contract, not to exceed $8,000, to JWS Computers Inc., for the purchase of Dell computers for the city.
Also passed was a resolution authorizing the mayor and Ms. Ege to sign a contract with John Munice for the administration of the city’s affordable housing units.

