ALLENTOWN – A group of young men from Allentown have been recognized by Mayor Greg Westfall and members of the Borough Council for their work on a community project.
During the Sept. 25 meeting of the governing body, Westfall presented a certificate of appreciation to Boy Scouts R.J. McLaughlin, Jack Hannon, Jack Zaffarese, Anthony Sabbatini, Luke Marsicano, Zack Smith, Thomas Woehr, Jeremy George, James Riccardi, Alex Riccardi and Andrew Lacroix.
The scouts, all of whom are members of Troop 180A, participated in a project to rebuild three footbridges at Heritage Park. The old footbridges were deteriorating and the new structures were built with Trex, which is a long-lasting composite deck material.
Westfall commended the young men, who received a round of applause and thanks from council President Thomas Fritts and council members Angela Anthony, Johnna Stinemire, Robert Strovinsky, Rob Schmitt and John A. Elder III.
Parent volunteers Carl Lacroix, Rob McLaughlin, Dominic Riccardi and Peter Marsicano were also recognized by borough officials, as were Northeastern Lumber and the Knights of Columbus for their donations of supplies for the project.
Also during the meeting, Mike Conroy, president of the Allentown First Aid Squad, provided an update of the squad’s operation. Through Sept. 25, the squad had responded to 545 calls for assistance in 2018, putting it on pace to respond to about 725 calls for the year, he said.
Conroy said there have been between 18 and 20 overdose calls in the area of Allentown and Upper Freehold Township. The number of calls includes more than one call from several individuals. Conroy said the drug problem “knows no bounds” in terms of a person’s status, striking people of all socioeconomic levels. He said additional doses of a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose have been placed on the squad’s vehicles.
The first aid squad president expressed concern about traffic in Allentown during the morning that he said can hinder the movement of emergency vehicles. Conroy said it can take him 20 minutes to travel six-tenths of a mile from the Commerce Bank at 40 N. Main St. to Allentown High School on High Street.
Council members said there are no answers to the borough’s traffic situation at the present time.
Westfall said 1,100 additional employees are expected to be hired at an Amazon distribution facility in neighboring Robbinsville and wondered aloud how that pending action will impact Allentown.
Conroy said there are already traffic issues in the area of the Amazon facility, with some motorists failing to yield to emergency responders whose vehicle displays a blue light, prompting Councilman Rob Schmitt to say, “Robbinsville has been deaf to our concerns.”
Finally, Conroy said a plan to send invoices seeking payment for services rendered to non-residents who receive assistance from the first aid squad is taking longer to get operational than planned.
“There is a lot of prep and documentation that goes into this,” he said, adding that he hopes to have the patient billing program in place by November.
During public comment, Linda Cotte, who is running for a seat on the council in the Nov. 6 election, expressed concern about what she described as a dangerous location for motorists.
Cotte said motorists who are traveling west on Interstate 195 who take the exit for North Main Street in Allentown (Route 539, also known as Old York Road) come to the top of the exit ramp and have a difficult time making a left turn onto North Main Street without the benefit of a traffic light and at a location with a limited sight line.
Westfall said a lack of funding has prevented the state from constructing a new exit ramp that would take motorists heading west on Interstate 195 under North Main Street and allow them to merge onto North Main Street without having to make a left turn.
Finally, following an executive (closed) session, the council voted on two actions that had been discussed in executive session, according to municipal clerk Laurie Gavin.
The first action was a resolution of intent to allow 28 Church Street, LLC, the ability to access the access road to the Church Street parking lot from its property for their own parking lot expansion.
The second resolution authorizes the borough attorney to discharge 0.2 acres at Heritage Park to clear up a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres violation, according to information provided by the municipal clerk.