We were hit by hurricane Irene in 2011 and again by hurricane Sandy in 2012; we were not well prepared then. Now, as our local weather events gain in severity aided by climate change, are we prepared to handle a more severe Irene or Sandy? The answer is no.
It is in our own hands to get ourselves ready for future, potentially more severe natural weather events, and the majority of these responsibilities should lie with our local government, which, in our case, centers around the mayor. We ought to take both preventative and remediation measures.
Preventative measures:
1. Most of the emission from cars driven in West Windsor remains within West Windsor; it thus pollutes our residents and worsens our local climate. With the community shuttle system in West Windsor (sites.google.com/site/wangformayor/platform/community-shuttle-details), we can cut down our air pollution by as much as 20 percent, and, by doing so, reduce the effect of climate changes significantly.
The calculations are based on the township’s Climate Action Plan Report drafted in 2015 (westwindsornj.org/climate/Climate-Action-Information.html).
2. Bear Brook and Assunpink Creek tree and vegetation clogging issue. Although it is the county’s responsibility to keep these streams clean so they don’t flood from a small storm, so far, residents in these flood prone zones have been doing the cleaning. We need to urge the county to obtain the necessary permit to perform such maintenance. If such measures fail, when opportunity arises, we should purchase the flood zone properties as preserved land.
3. Preserve our farmlands for better soil and water management in West Windsor.
4. Roadside drains are frequently clogged due to infrequent township service. Service quality can be improved.
5. Water retention basin designs frequently were not optimized, leaving some residents compromised.
Remediation measures:
1. Some of the emergency equipment of our volunteer firefighters is in unacceptable condition. They save us $300/household/year; however, donations to them, on which they depend to operate, are unfortunately decreasing every year. In addition, we have budgeted for three fire trucks costing around $250,000 total and have not applied for available grants. As mayor, I will do the needed fund drives and applications.
2. To handle the aftermath of hurricanes, we need additional emergency shelters with sufficient backup energy. This brings us to the long-discussed micro grid solar farm project on the 5-acre lot near the municipal complex.
We can use the land for both the township and solar energy generation by building community structures and installing solar panels on the rooftops: these structures can include a garage for our emergency vehicles that are looking for a home. When built, it can also serve as our additional emergency shelter.
This structure will provide sufficient clean emergency backup energy for the whole municipal complex, and the construction cost can be offset by PSE&G’s budget for fencing and installation of the originally intended ground mounted solar panel array.
— Yan Mei Wang
Wang is candidate for for West Windsor mayor.
