More than half a million dollars in various capital improvements aimed at a number of safety upgrades and other needed fixes throughout Hillsborough were recently introduced via ordinance by the township committee.
During its July 10 public hearing, the governing body approved the ordinance that appropriates $575,000 to pay for a list of seven projects put forward by the township’s Capital Planning Board.
“The commission did review many requests over the course of several meetings and these were the top priority,” Committeeman Carl Suraci said. “Most of these are safety related.”
According to the ordinance, the township will fund the following: various sidewalk replacements ($75,000), replacement of damaged wooden guide rails ($90,000), a dump truck replacement for the Department of Public Works ($180,000), an automatic salt brine maker ($100,000), partial funding for a Ford pickup truck ($8,000), a roadside mower implement ($26,000) and a traffic signal modification at the intersection of Triangle and Auten Roads ($96,000).
Prior to the committee’s vote, Suraci, who also serves as the committee’s liaison to the Capital Planning Board, went into a little more detail on some of the projects.
According to the outgoing committeeman, a number of wooden guard rails that line some streets will be replaced with “more modern steel ones.”
Of particular interest to some committee members behind the dais is the planned effort to modify the traffic signals at the Auten Road and Triangle Road intersection. According to Suraci, the new light fixtures will include a left turn signal to give motorists a window to turn left at the intersection.
“This is mainly going for safety improvements throughout the township,” Suraci said.
When asked where the funding was coming from by a member of the public, Mayor Gloria McCauley said the entire bill will be covered by the township’s Capital Improvement Fund.
Along with the seven aforementioned projects, the ordinance also listed “off-site contributions that the township received from various developers” for landscaping efforts throughout Hillsborough.
According to the ordinance, the township received $22,000 for landscape funds and $4,000 for municipal landscaping.
A second, public hearing will be held on the proposed ordinance during the township committee’s next meeting August 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillsborough Municipal Complex.