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HIGHTSTOWN: Community comes out in force

Council approves Borough Hall third special meeting

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
   HIGHTSTOWN —This past Monday council meeting was highly attended as members of the community came out to support — or protest — one cause or another.
   Whether it was the Eagle Scout project, a presentation by Councilman Robert Thibault and Councilwoman Lynne Woods on the closed borough hall, or the revised first introduction and final reading of the taxicab licensing ordinance — residents showed up on July 16 in numbers.
   Approximately 100 residents filled the room on Bank Street by 7:30 p.m., which was left with standing room only space, and another group of approximately 30 people waited outside to witness the re-introduction of the taxicab licensing ordinance. Later in the meeting, those present to hear the taxicab ordinance reading entered to meeting room on Bank Street — and also cheered on in support of 17-year-old Ryan Lanphear’s Eagle Scout project to build a stage at Association Park.
   A special presentation on Borough Hall was led by council members Mr. Thibault and Ms. Woods, who outlined a timeline of happenings since Hurricane Irene. This featured possible options for the future of the borough hall that have been mentioned to date and the costs that would be associated with each option.
   Councilman Thibault said, “We’ve been stuck trying to get information (on Borough Hall data).”
   He continued “We’ve been pushing for a process and we finally developed one.”
   ”In my opinion, we need to evaluate all the options and choose one,” said Councilwoman Woods at the end of the evening.
   She encouraged her peers that a special meeting should be scheduled.
   ”At some point you have to narrow in on what you are looking to do,” Councilwoman Woods said.
   ”Put up dry erase boards for Pete’s sake — (listing) here’s option one, here’s option two, here’s option three — and let’s talk them out,” she said.
   ”I don’t want to be like, ‘here was this presentation and let’s sit here and do nothing,’” she said.
   Earlier, Councilman Thibault and Councilwoman Woods advocated in their presentation for a special meeting to:
   1) Identify any other possible options;
   2) acquire additional information such as the minimum and maximum amount of money that can be claimed from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and through insurance, actual space needs of the borough and flood zone information;
   3) and review and rank options on feasibility, cost and risk;
   4) develop a detail analysis on the top two options and
   5) select the most the appropriate action and move ahead with a goal in mind of completing this process by the first anniversary of the storm.
   The Hightstown Borough Council has since scheduled the Borough Hall special meeting for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 8, in the First Aid Building, 168 Bank St. Action will not be taken at this meeting.
   Noteworthy, it will be the third special workshop meeting on the Borough Hall, which has remained closed since Hurricane Irene last August, which flooded the building and the adjacent Police Department facility as well as a municipal storage garage.
   Michael Theokas, business administrator, said that he, Councilwoman Woods, George Chin, the borough construction officer, and a representative from Carmela Robert’s office, who serves as the borough engineer, were in attendance at a FEMA meeting on flood maps. It was held at the Mercer County Fire Training Center on July 12.
   ”They are obviously starting the process over again,” said Mr. Theokas of the federal flood maps. “We are going to be presented with the maps to be approved and the opportunity to challenge and so on.”
   ”It’s all of Mercer County, not just Hightstown (to be impacted by the new FEMA maps),” Councilwoman Woods said.
   The borough is still waiting for more FEMA money to come in from the damages caused to municipal property from Hurricane Irene.
   ”Unfortunately, we have not gotten any (new) FEMA money,” Mr. Theokas said.
   It was still undetermined — as of press time — as to how much the borough’s insurance company was willing to pay toward the damages of Borough Hall resulting from the storm.
   Mayor and council concluded the meeting with reflections on the Eagle Scout project.
   ”I told Ryan during the break that Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are welcomed here and that . . . building the gazebo-stage is a process. It’s not always pretty and (not) always easy. You live in a democracy and everybody gets to have their say,” Councilman Thibault said.
   ”I’m looking forward to seeing the gazebo,” said Councilwoman Susan Bluth said.