West Windsor Council on Aug. 15 voted 3-2 against an extension that would have retained state Department of Transportation funds earmarked for the construction of a paved bike path along Conover Road—a decision that will likely kill the project.
Some 30 people were in attendance to witness the proceedings, which was five days after a contentious public meeting held to discuss the plan. More than a dozen residents from Conover Road and the nearby Jefferson Park neighborhood spoke out against the proposal, with many citing safety concerns associated with the bike path.
The proposed path would have been built off the road and required the removal of 150 trees. The township administration planned to install the path to improve access to the recreation fields at the corner of South Post and Conover roads, as well as to Mercer County Park.
The paved path would have terminated right before the intersection of Galston Drive and Conover Road, and cyclists would then have had to go on the road to reach the bike lanes on Edinburg Road.
The Jefferson Park residents balked at the prospect of more cyclists traversing the neighborhood to access the proposed bike path.
Before the council vote, Galston Drive resident Veronica Mehno handed Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh an envelope and said, “Here Mayor, you’ve been served.”
The envelope contained a demand letter, written by Mehno’s husband, Christopher, an attorney, threatening litigation if the project was to go forward.
In a letter posted on the News’ website, wwpinfo.com, before the meeting, Galston Drive residents Rocco and Donna Lucarelli decried the project, stating that there was a petition with the signatures of 50 Jefferson Park residents opposed to the bike path.
The Lucarellis said that if the path is constructed, it will cause the residents’ quality of life to decline.
“Our homes will be worth less money,” the letter said. “Why? Just to have bikers come through our quiet Conover and take away trees and go through that will forever change the landscape of this area.”
In 2015, the council approved a $24,800 contract for engineering and survey design services for the project. Last December, council also approved a resolution that would extend the township’s eligibiltiy of the $275,000 state grant.
Council members Linda Geevers, Hemant Marathe and Peter Mendonez voted for the first grant extension, but they were swayed by resident opposition and voted against extending the grant eligibility a second time on Aug. 15.
Council members Alison Miller and Ayesha Hamilton both said the project required safety revisions, but they voted to extend the grant to provide the township with an opportunity to engineer a better solution.
Hsueh emphasized the adminstration had not settled on a final path design. He also cautioned against voting down the state grant, because doing so might put the town’s relationship with the DOT in jeopardy.
In response to concerns voiced earlier by John Church, who questioned whether the cash-strapped state would even follow through on a grant, Hsueh said the state would have to resolve its Transportation Trust Fund budget before October or else risk losing billions in federal funding.
Jefferson Park residents would have none of it, interrupting the mayor and calling for a vote.
“This is not your meeting, Mayor,” Donna Lucarelli said.
***
In other infrastructure news at the meeting, Cranbury Road resident Sarah Thomson asked council for an update on the sidewalk project along her street. With multiple homeowners declining to provide easements for the project, Business Adminsitrator Marlena Schmid said Mercer County, which has jurisdiction over the road, has agreed to allow the sidewalk to be built in a configuration within the right-of-way that would avoid permanent sidewalk easements.
However, temporary construction easements are still required and the township has so far been unsucessful in getting those from homeowners.
After the meeting, Hsueh said eminent domain is an option that would move the process along. However, he said it will be council’s decision whether or not to embark on eminent domain.
A higher priority for the administration is to complete improvements on Canal Pointe Boulevard before the end of the year. Engineering and surveying work by an outside consultant is completed and under review by the township engineer.
Geevers and Mendonez have expressed reservations about the road diet, citing anticipated development in the corridor. The road diet would convert the current four-lane configuration into three lanes, or one-lane in each direction plus a center left-turn lane. The mayor supports the road diet but in April, council member Marathe did not vote for the engineering consultant and called the design “a disaster.” However, council member Miller and Sgt. Danny Mohr of the police traffic division have said the road diet would have significant safety benefits.
A construction contract will require Council approval, though with partisan disagreement over the road’s lane configuration design, more theatrics may be on the horizon.
