UPPER FREEHOLD: Residents requesting Harmony Hill Road paving

By Jane Meggitt, Special Writer
UPPER FREEHOLD — Harmony Hill Road, located off County Route 524, probably hasn’t changed much in over a century, since the time when horses rather than cars were the primary form of transportation.
At the July 10 Township Committee meeting, Harmony Hill resident James Stephenson asked the governing body to consider allocating funds to blacktop the unpaved roadway in next year’s budget. The committee received a petition signed by the six households on the road supporting the paving.
Mr. Stephenson, who moved to Upper Freehold last year, said he plowed and opened the road for fellow residents this winter, and no municipal plows worked on the road.
"In dry weather, there’s dust on vehicles and in the house," he said. "It’s a mess."
Mr. Stephenson said he believed paving the road would be a one-day job for the 3/10 of a mile stretch.
Township Attorney Dennis Collins said that the state imposes certain standards on a municipality for paving a roadway.
Committeeman Bob Faber said that he spoke to a county representative about the issue, and was told the county was willing to pave Harmony Hill Road if the township would pay for the work.
Township Administrator Dianne Kelly said it might be possible to grade the road and put down stone dust in the meantime. Committeeman Faber agreed, noting that was almost as good as a solution as blacktop.
In other business, JCP&L’s area manager, Gerry Riccardi, attended the meeting to update the committee on current work in the township. He said crews will be out trimming trees and vegetation around the Hornerstown substation through mid-September. He noted that, since Superstorm Sandy, residents have been more amenable to having trees trimmed in their neighborhoods. In addition to the standard 10-foot swath around power lines, Mr. Riccardi said crews are taking down dead branches on unhealthy-looking limbs above that limit.
"We’re hoping to eliminate dead overhangs," he said.
For future emergencies, Mr. Riccardi said that JCP&L is trying to prioritize customers based on need, with those who lack water because of well dependence, critical care customers and those individuals with disabilities or other special needs, as top priorities.
In other business, the governing body appointed Donna Taylor as the township’s new tax assessor, for a four-year term. She replaces longtime assessor Steven Walters, who retired at the end of June. Ms. Taylor’s salary is $44,200 annually.