The June 9 West Windsor Town Council meeting started out on a high note but quickly devolved into a heated discussion of the proposed renovations to the municipal complex that will cost nearly $5 million.
The high note was a proclamation expressing council’s appreciation to resident June Fiske for the services and assistance she provides to the township every year on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.
Those good feelings quickly dissolved when Council President Bryan Maher took issue with the planning process for renovations to the municipal complex and his lack of involvement in it.
Township engineer Francis Guzik and consultant Scott Downie of the Spiezle Group presented the completed space needs study for the municipal buildings, specifically addressing what is needed in the post office space, the arts council building, and the upper level of the municipal building. According to Guzik, the renovation committee reviewed the recommendations from Spiezle prior to its presentation.
“In coming up with our recommendations, we looked at the needs of staff, building security, visitor accessibility, code compliance, and physical building issues,” Downie said. “We then broke the project down into phases, with various costs associated for each. We understand that you may want to implement this project over time, rather than all at once.” The cost for the entire project, if all of the recommendations were to be implemented, would be approximately $4.9 million.
“In my opinion, the physical upgrades for the municipal building would be the highest priority,” he continued. “There are some items that need to be done very soon. We found problems with the roofing and vertical walls, which need to be replaced; windows that are in poor condition; the HVAC needs to be updated; the electrical systems need to be upgraded; problems with the plumbing, the bathrooms, and the gas piping; the buildings need to be made more ADA compliant; and other items such as the hot water heater, exhaust piping, and life safety systems needs to be updated and brought up to code.”
In addition to physical upgrades, the plan recommends a separate building, called the Butler building, to be built adjacent to the post office and behind the senior center, which would include five bays to house the emergency vehicles currently stored in the Arts Council building on Alexander Road.
Under this plan, space renovation would account for 36 percent of the cost; new space would be 12 percent; and physical plans would constitute 52 percent. Alterations would account for approximately $2.8 million; physical plant upgrades will be $1.75 million, and the construction of the Butler building, approximately $600,000. The total project estimate is $5.16 million.
“The next steps for the council would be to decide the overall scope of the project, the target budget, whether to use the $5.16 million number that we have proposed, and the phasing of the project,” Downie said.
Council member Peter Mendonez, who served on the renovation project committee, said that many aspects of the proposal were news to him. “We talked primarily about the physical needs, not everything that is now listed in the report. We estimated that the physical plant needs would cost $1.7 million, and I was willing to advocate for that number, because I believe that the physical renovations are necessary. But I don’t believe we discussed the rest of the items that have been presented today.”
Maher thanked Downie for the presentation, but added “I don’t agree with everything you have proposed.” Maher continued: “The council has been left out of the process. No one has ever sold me on the idea that we need another five-bay building, or so many very nice conference rooms. There needs to be a selling initiative on the part of the administration for at least three of the five council members, or else this initiative won’t pass.
“I asked for a prioritization of items, not all at once. You should have come to us a year ago with these plans. I had a meeting with the mayor at Thanksgiving and told him he needed to include me in the process; that he needed to seek our approval before he went ahead with this plan. Instead, he cuts us out of the process and presents it tonight, with a timeline starting in June, 2014.”
Maher reiterated more than once that unless the administration met with at least three of the five council members and attempted to convince them of the need for some of the renovations, nothing would get done because the council would not approve the plan.
“There isn’t support for the notion that we are going to spend $5 million on the municipal building. I agree that we need to do the physical upgrades and move the emergency vehicles out of the arts council building, but I don’t agree with the other changes, and I don’t agree with how this was handled. This is the first time I am seeing any of this.”
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh asked to explain the project. “This renovation has been discussed before you, Bryan, were even on the council, when Bob Hary was the business administrator, and Linda Geevers and George Borek were on the council. This has been in the planning stages for a long time. We wanted Spiezle to present this tonight so that we could look at the priorities and the budget and make some decisions together and have reasonable discussions without emotional or political issues.”
Hsueh further clarified that this was a concept plan only; and that once council approved the project, the administration would seek input from residents and others before any specific plans were developed.
Maher responded, “You should have come to us — that is the way that the administration needs to work with this council. If you really wanted to start a dialogue you should have done this a year ago.”
Said Hsueh, “This is nothing more than a political attack. I asked Peter Mendonez to be on the committee as the council liaison, so how am I not working with the council? We are willing to go forward with what you approve, using the schedule you propose. We want to give you all of the options so that you can make the best decision with all of the information. Not saying you have to make a decision tonight, just asking you to listen and start the dialogue.”
“I said months ago that we are more interested in bite-size chunks,” Maher interjected. “You chose to ignore that and not engage this chair and this council. I am willing to horse-trade to get things done. But I won’t be circumvented. But I want you to come to me with your priorities. You did not do this.”
When the mayor asked to finish his explanation, noting that Maher had talked for a long time, Maher replied, “I can talk as long as I want to. I am the chair. You aren’t.”
As the discussion devolved, Council member Kristina Samonte implored Maher and Hsueh to continue the conversation at another time, “so that we can return this council meeting to an appropriate level of professionalism.”
Business administrator Marlena Schmid clarified that, “all along the priority has been to move the emergency vehicles out of the Arts Council building.”
And director of community development Pat Ward said, “I think this is a good plan, and I would like to walk you through it. I invite you [the council] to meet with me and engineering to talk about this proposal.”
Despite the fireworks over how the plan was presented, several residents commented on specific aspects of the plan. Several members of the Arts Council spoke, including Elaine Gutterman, the upcoming president of the council and a founding member; executive director Arin Black; and Paul Cerna, the founding president, who said, “We want to see the emergency vehicles moved out so that we can expand the arts council. This will have a beneficial ripple effect on the town as a whole.”
Added resident Jeff Nathanson, a trustee of the West Windsor Arts Council and executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton: “It is good to hear that there is no dispute on moving the fire trucks from the bays in the fire house. As art spaces, they will be so incredibly useful, so we are hopeful for a phase two [of the arts council development plan]. We were hoping for a more positive resolution tonight, but we urge you to work through whatever issues you have and get this done to proceed as we originally intended.”
Residents John Church and Alison Miller both commented on the administration’s failure to seek public input before presenting the plan and suggested putting the plan on the township website to allow residents to view it.
The administration has accommodated that request. The concept plan can be found at www.westwindsornj.org.
Resident Kathy Brennan also commented: “These ideas are short-sighted and are not community or pedestrian-friendly and we will be mounting our opposition.”
In a later conversation, Brennan expressed her views more fully. “I am speaking as a concerned resident who lives across from the municipal center. My main issue is the five-bay building, which will be in the back yard of the senior center, keeping them from being able to expand, which they want to be able to do. According to the diagram, it will be bigger and higher than the post office building. In addition, it will take out the senior center patio, the sidewalks, and will isolate the municipal building from the rest of the township buildings. Plus, its placement there will require the cutting down of all of the trees and bushes.”
“My suggestion would be to move the recreation and health departments to the empty post office space. That way, if in the future the post office doesn’t renew its lease, we could create a community center in the other half of the building. Then we could create a community triangle between the senior center, the library, and the community center.”
“I want to make it clear that I am not opposed to moving out the emergency vehicles from the Arts Council, and I am not opposed to spending the money on improvements. The municipal building needs to be upgraded, but the mayor is proposing to spend $5 million without getting input from the residents, seniors, and others. Instead of using the money to enhance the community, we are using it to make the community worse. We have the opportunity to do something really beneficial here and make the community center even more neighborhood and community-friendly. We could even build sidewalks to lead to the municipal building. This is not a well-thought out plan. We need a plan that makes our town more attractive, not less.”
The topic of brush removal was also addressed again.
Said resident Marla Esposito, “I am speaking to you as a concerned citizen. We have a problem in my neighborhood and the town because of all the yard debris being left in the streets and the bike lanes. Because we have an increase of landscapers, who are leaving a lot of debris in the roads, it has become excessive. Debris is being left out in the roadways up to one month before zoned pickup.
“This is dangerous to bikers and pedestrians. Sometimes the piles are more than three to four feet high and spill into street, so they are a danger to cars and school buses, especially when there are bends or curves in the roads. I have been told that the current ordinance is not being enforced because of budget cuts and understaffing. A new ordinance is overdue, and violations need to be given out, and landscapers need to be responsible for removing debris.”
Council members George Borek and Kristina Samonte had previously volunteered to rewrite the ordinance, and council members discussed their recommendations. Ultimately, all five agreed to language that would include: no brush pick-up from December through February; limiting the size of allowable piles to 4 feet by 4 feet by 15 feet, and reasonable fines starting at $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense, and $500 for a third offense. After a number of days, of continued non-compliance, the township will charge the cost of removal to the homeowner.
Said Borek, “we will put together the ordinance, which hopefully will be introduced at next council meeting.”
Council was able to reach consensus on a number of other issues. By a vote of 5 to 0, it approved the appointment of Eric Payne as a resident representative on the Site Plan Review Advisory Board with a term to expire on December 31, 2016; and it appointed Gary Zohn as a permanent member and Virginia Manzari as the first alternate on Zoning Board.
In addition it approved the canceling of approximately $83,280 in unexpended and dedicated balances of general capital and maintenance of Open Space Trust Fund appropriations.
Council also authorized professional services agreements with the following organizations relating to stray dogs and cats that become the responsibility of the Township: Weber’s Training School to provide temporary boarding and shelter, at a cost not to exceed $10,000; Nassau Animal Hospital to provide non-emergency medical attention for $8,000; and Princeton Animal Hospital to provide 24-hour emergency veterinarian services upon request at a cost of $5,000.
In addition, council introduced an ordinance that would amend the Princeton Junction redevelopment plan to allow the township to exercise the right of eminent domain if necessary. A public hearing will be held at the next council meeting, on Monday, June 23, at 7 p.m.
#b#New Recycling Day#/b#
West Windsor residents will soon have to adjust to a new recycling schedule. Effective July 3, pick-up day will be changed from every other Saturday to every other Thursday. The change, announced by the Mercer County Improvement Authority on June 11, is intended to improve response time to missed pick-ups and keep the streets cleaner on the weekends, when many community activities occur.
In case of a Thursday holiday, pick up will be moved to Saturday. For more information contact the MCIA at www.mcianj.org or call 609-278-8086.
#b#Road Work Alert#/b#
Milling and resurfacing work on Route 571 in East Windsor, just across the line from West Windsor, is scheduled to begin Monday, June 16. The work will cause lane closures weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. from Old Trenton Road to Route 133. Weather permitting, the work is expected to take about 14 days.
