Committee considers adding Millennium Building road access
By Charley Falkenburg, Packet Media Group
MANSFIELD — The inside of the impending new municipal complex on Route 206 may be nearing completion, but the grounds outside the front door are a different story.
With town employees gearing up to move in the Millennium Building in March, the Township Committee is hurrying to jumpstart the construction of a proposed access road and other exterior improvements. The committee, on Jan. 23, focused on the additional access road from Hedding Road.
Currently, people can only get to the Millennium Building through one entrance on the southbound side of Route 206.
The township has been negotiating with New Jersey American Water, which owns the property to the north of the building, to put an access road to Hedding Road, Deputy Mayor Bob Higgins told the Register-News in December.
At the request of Committeeman Fred Clark at the last meeting, Township Engineer Tim Stazewski presented the committee with a proposal for the road. His specs included a 300-foot-long road spanning 30 feet wide with a 50-foot right of way into the complex.
The project also would include pedestrian improvements such as sidewalks along the access road as well as within the parking lot.
Mr. Stazewski said there also would be future improvements on Hedding Road to accommodate those who want to walk to the municipal complex.
The township also is exploring adding curbs, drains and other stormwater improvements at the same time.
Town officials are hoping the majority of the costs will be covered by two grants — a Department of Transportation local aid grant and a Community Development Block Grant for the sidewalks and pedestrian improvements within the parking lot. Mr. Stazewski said he was hoping to hear back from the DOT in March or April.
Thus far, the township has paid about $10 million in bond ordinances for the two-story building, which already houses the volunteer Franklin Fire Company. With construction staying on deadline, by the end of the year, Mansfield will have its municipal workers, police and firemen all at one spot.
Committeewoman Janice DiGuiseppe was concerned the grants might not be awarded, and the township would have to pay out pocket, but Mr. Stazewski said there was no reason why Mansfield would not receive the funding.
Regardless of aid, he told the committee the job needs to be done.
”Mid-March, we can start moving into the building,” Mr. Stazewski said. “It needs to get done once we start occupying the building.”
Nothing was finalized, and no action was taken that evening as the committee needed more time to go over Mr. Stazewski’s draft.
Before the meeting came to an end, Township Clerk Linda Semus updated attendees on a Columbus Cemetery vandalism incident that happened last month.
The report was made Dec. 26 when a visitor discovered veteran and firemen markers had been stripped off many graves and strewn about the graveyard. To date, 63 placards have been found lying on the cemetery grounds; no other damage was reported.
The markers have no names on them and only specify the year and war the deceased had fought. Ms. Semus urged folks to contact Dorothy Archer, the head of the cemetery, with any information they might have so Ms. Archer can put the placards back where they belong.
Dorothy Archer can be reached at 609-298-4339.

