By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — Borough officials have a full agenda as they enter 2017.
The focus will be on modernizing the Parking Authority, helping volunteer emergency services, finding a new location for the Metuchen Firehouse, bike and pedestrian safety, park improvements, curbing development that would change the character of neighborhoods and the building of a new sewer pump station.
Mayor Peter Cammarano addressed the Borough Council, borough officials, dignitaries and the public at a reorganization meeting on Jan. 1 highlighting the work done in 2016 and what is in store for 2017.
If all goes as planned, borough officials will be celebrating New Year’s Eve 2018 in the half-acre public piazza at the intersection of Pearl Street and New Street.
“We anticipate residents of the Pearl Street development to begin moving in this spring, and the opening of the Whole Foods supermarket will occur in the third quarter [of the year],” said Cammarano.
The Pearl Street development celebrated the opening of the state-of-the-art parking deck this past June that contains six levels and 750 spaces.
The parking deck is just one piece of the major development. It also includes 273 one- and two-bedroom housing units, 13,000 square feet of retail space and a half-acre public piazza.
Last year saw many firsts for Metuchen when borough officials worked on laying a foundation for the future.
“It was a year of studying and planning on many of the important issues that the residents are concerned about, and it has put us in a good position to move forward in 2017,” said Cammarano.
Borough officials reviewed the volunteer recruitment and retention report for the Metuchen Fire Department; completed a survey and developed a plan for improvements of the borough parks; worked with the New Jersey Department of Transportation; and developed a comprehensive bike and pedestrian plan for the borough.
In July, the Metuchen Historic Preservation Committee submitted an application designating the Middlesex Avenue-Woodwild Park Historic District for the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.
In 2016, the borough saw the completion and opening of the Pearl Street parking deck and the opening of new stores, which are part of the Renaissance development on Middlesex Avenue.
“We also did what many thought was impossible,” said Cammarano. “Through the leadership of Councilman [Jay] Muldoon and Councilwoman [Allison] Inserro, we formed our Metuchen Downtown Alliance (MDA) to improve and promote our downtown.”
The mayor said the MDA is off to a fantastic start.
“You can see with the new decorations, [the success of the] Small Business Saturday event … and I expect to see more great events as we move forward,” he said.
Cammarano said in the new year they will be working on the reorganization of the Parking Authority and modernizing authority operations.
“We will begin to replace parking meters and implement technology allowing for the use of apps and pay by phone to make it efficient and easier to operate parking,” he said. “In 2017, no one should have to fish through their car or pockets to look for quarters to put in a parking meter.”
Additionally, Cammarano said volunteer fire and emergency medical services struggle every day to meet demands and respond when needed.
“Despite these challenges, they are always there when we need them,” he said. “It’s time that we do more to help them. We need to work with the community and to work with each of them to identify ways to recruit and retain volunteers so they will be able to continue to operate at a high level and with the professionalism we have become accustomed to.”
In 2017, Cammarano said he will appoint a small task force led by Council President Ronald Grayzel to identify and design a location for a new firehouse.
“There is no doubt that the condition of the current firehouse is beyond repair and unacceptable,” he said.
The task force, Cammarano said, will look at the work done in the past and find a small number of locations so they can move forward with an actual plan and design laying the groundwork for construction of a new facility.
The new year is also when real steps will be taken to improve bike and pedestrian safety in the borough.
“Through a grant from [the New Jersey Department of Transportation] we have developed a plan for safe access [in and out of town] for bikers and pedestrians with input from the residents,” said Cammarano. “We are beginning implementation of these recommendations so we can make these streets safer for all who want to use them.”
The mayor said they are working with Police Chief David Irizarry on concerns about trucks traveling in town.
“This year we are sending several officers for truck inspection training to ensure trucks traveling through the borough are operating safely and legally,” he said. “I believe it is an important step as we move forward to ensure streets and pedestrians are safe.”
Cammarano said they will move forward with improvements to the borough parks.
“With the assistance from the [Middlesex County Board of Chosen] Freeholders, a $225,000 grant will go towards Oakland Park improvements,” he said.
The improvements, which will be made this year, will provide greater recreation opportunities for residents and also increase safety and accessibility in the park.
Cammarano said they will move forward with improvements to plans for all borough parks to ensure residents have recreation and social benefits that come with a desirable park system.
The mayor also said in the new year they will take a serious look at curbing development that would change the character of the neighborhoods in the borough.
“I think I speak for many of us — nothing disturbs me more than seeing a house torn down to make way for newer and larger homes,” he said. “It’s difficult to see and tricky to address, [but] we must try.”
Cammarano said there is a certain level of irony that the borough has applied to the state Historic Commission for the creation of a historic district.
“We seem to be experiencing a never-ending appetite for developers to change the character of our neighborhoods,” he said. “We need to seriously look at this issue.”
Cammarano said he has asked Councilman Reed Leibfried to spearhead the efforts and explore the potential for new restrictions on single-family redevelopment, including the possibility of a floor-to-area ratio ordinance to limit types and sizes of structures allowed.
“I look forward to the recommendations this spring,” he said.
This year, Cammarano said they will proactively move forward with plans to build a new and modern pump facility to ensure reliable operations for decades to come.
In June, the three sewage pumping stations that the borough has in place to pump the water from home toilets, sinks and clothes/dishwashers broke down.
With a temporary fix — the installation of an emergency bypass system and “shoe strings, bubble gum and everything imaginable” — officials said they avoided the potential for backups in the streets and homes.
At the reorganization meeting, Councilwoman Dorothy Rasmussen was sworn in for her third term, and Linda Koskoski was sworn in for her first term.
Grayzel was nominated to serve another year as council president.