Letters

New Hope

merchants organize
To the editor:
   Tuesday evening, April 30, approximately 50 business owners and commercial property owners met at La Terrazza Restaurant for the organizational meeting of the Independent Merchants of New Hope.
   This group formed to provide the downtown New Hope merchants, service businesses and commercial property owners an open forum to discuss business concerns and pursue common goals and interests.
   Much of the discussion at Tuesday’s meeting revolved around a proposal, presented at Borough Hall during the preceding week, to explore the possibility of creating a business improvement district. The district would be funded by a property tax assessed for a period of years on business property owners in the district.
   The funds raised from this assessment, perhaps as much as $182,500 in the first year, might be used in part to hire a downtown manager in addition to the existing borough manager.
   Business and commercial property owners at the Independent Merchants of New Hope’s organizational meeting heard presentations from local business owners, and from attorney Frank Sullivan of Sullivan and Sullivan in Newtown, Pa. After these presentations, many present expressed concern they first learned about the district proposal from a newspaper article. There was general agreement, with a proposal of this magnitude, the entire business community should be actively included in the process from a very early stage.
   A lot of questions have been raised about the district and how the process has been handled so far, according to Caroline Dechert, owner of True as Touch Holistic Massage and a presenter at the meeting. It’s hard to read in the paper the business community is behind a project when you’re a member of that community, and you’ve had no opportunity to hear about any such project, she said. She hoped this new organization will improve lines of communication that seem to have been lacking and ensure the entire business community has access to information that will enable merchants to ask the questions they need to ask and make the right decisions for their businesses.
   Christina Georgiou, owner of Enchantments, a shop in downtown New Hope, and chairperson for the organizational meeting, promised members should have access to good information through the Independent Merchants of New Hope’s newsletters and e-mail discussion list. The group also is formulating plans for various projects to promote the interests of its members.
   Input from the business community was actively sought. Feedback forms were provided to everyone who came to Tuesday’s meeting, with a promise everyone who filled out such a form would be personally contacted with a response.
   Membership in the Independent Merchants of New Hope is open to business owners and commercial property owners in New Hope and costs $35 per year for those who agree to receive their newsletters by e-mail and $50 for those who prefer hard copy.
   For more information, call Ms. Georgiou at (215) 862-2324, Bert Johnson at (215) 862-5626, Ms. Dechert at (215) 862-4595, Robert Gerenser at (215) 862-2050 or Mark Holbrow or Lisa Marini at (215) 862-6112.
   The next meeting of the Independent Merchants of New Hope will be held Wednesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. at La Terrazza Restaurant.

Traffic problems

in Stockton
To the editor:
   Stockton’s traffic problem doesn’t end with Bridge and Main Streets.
   As residents living on Route 523, we are extremely concerned with the increase in reckless drivers passing through Stockton. In the five years we have lived here, there have been at least five incidents of reckless drivers going off the road and damaging private property. One could have been fatal for our family had we dared to be on our front porch a Saturday afternoon last June.
   There is insufficient speed enforcement. It sometimes seems like there is a racing flagman on the steps of the Methodist Church waving a green flag for motorists on Main Street to accelerate around the corner and up the hill. We constantly hear the squealing of tires coming around the bend.
   It’s also a scary stretch of sidewalk to walk on — cars hugging the corner and moving too fast. As parents of young children, we are very concerned.
   We live in a town, which should be pedestrian friendly — there are no school buses — why aren’t the cross walks marked in a striped pattern so drivers can consider obeying the law? Why are there no pedestrian signs?
   We hope the installation of the traffic light at Bridge and Main doesn’t increase the speeding on Route 523. With a zero sight radius around Schuck’s Garage, the additional traffic My Ben will bring and the children walking or riding their bikes to the borough’s park, the intersection of routes. 29 and 523 needs serious attention from the state Department of Transportation before there is a tragedy.
   Perhaps the governor’s call for small towns to start paying the State Police is also an opportunity for Stockton to discuss sharing a police department with Delaware Township.

Residents need

‘real relief’
To the editor:
   I have carefully reviewed the recent letter I received from the City of Lambertville regarding the street "drainage project" proposed for North Franklin Street.
   I also have discussed this project with neighbors who attended a City Council meeting where this project was discussed. Our review of these plans shows no indication of relief from the flooding problems that exist on North Franklin Street. Instead, they indicate there will be a new pipe into which we can continue to pump water out of our cellars.
   With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, I think you and the council have missed the point. We already know how to pump the water out of our cellars. We’ve had enough practice, and we’ve gotten good at it.
   What we need is a means of preventing the water from coming in to our cellars. This situation has greatly intensified over the last several years from the status of being an intermittent nuisance to that of being a major problem.
   After months and months of enduring the constant rumble of heavy machinery passing our houses, shaking them on their foundations and covering everything with dirt, we find that we will be no better off than we were before this project began. Our understanding was the purpose of this drainage project was to provide flood relief for all the residents of Lambertville. Now it would appear it is to provide relief for all residents except those on North Franklin Street.
   Why are we paying taxes to the city if we are not included in the services provided to other residents? It would appear this is not an issue that is of much concern to you or to any of the members of the council if it is your belief this proposal will be at all useful in addressing our problems.
   Please let me know how you plan to address this problem in a way that will provide the residents of North Franklin Street with some real relief instead of some stopgap measure that can only be a temporary solution.

Lock-In had

much support
To the editor:
   The South Hunterdon Regional High School PTSO and Middle School students would like to thank their many friends in the community for the generous support they received at the recent Middle School Lock-In event held March 23.
   We would like to salute the amazing generosity of Shop-Rite of Flemington; the Colalillo family business contributed nearly $1,000 worth of food and beverages.
   In addition, we are grateful to the Lambertville Trading Company, Starbucks, Niece Lumber and Pine Creek Golf Course for their special contributions.
   Thanks also to Linda and Jim Fee for organizing the greatest Easter egg hunt ever held!
   Thanks to the student peer leaders and to Matt Wiley, alumnus-extraordinaire and guitar-guru.
   We would like to acknowledge and thank the many parent-volunteers who made the event happen. And finally, many kudos to our three South administrators — Harry Bell, Bill Panella and Dr. Claudio Cerullo.

League marks

50th anniversary
To the editor:
   I would like to congratulate the officials of the Lambertville 8-12 league on its 50th anniversary.
   The league was formed back in 1952 by Bill Losch, president, Lou Welsh, financial treasurer, Phil Ollio and Joe Carbone, league director.
   The league had eight teams with 25 players on each team.
   Keep up the good work with the league.

Visitors center

hours expanded
To the editor:
   On behalf of the New Hope Area Chamber of Commerce and the entire business community, we would like to thank Richard Hirschfield, Sharyn Keiser and all of the members of Borough Council for approving the extension of hours of the visitors center.
   By doing so, it will assist the visitors to our community in obtaining information regarding B&Bs, dining and family entertainment as well as where they can find specific items.
   With the upcoming restoration of the center that is being facilitated by the Revitalization Committee, we also must thank Earl Bierman, Dennis Wise and Jan Witte for the countless hours they have put into this project.
   It goes to show when a community pulls together, great things can happen.