The West Windsor Town Council had a long agenda for its meeting on May 28, but the meeting was one of the shortest in recent memory. The four Council members who were present, George Borek, Kristina Samonte, Linda Geevers, and Kamal Khanna went through the agenda quickly, with little on the agenda that generated discussion, much less controversy.
“Because Bryan Maher was unable to be present, we held any issues or resolutions that required a lot of discussion or follow-up until his return,” said Borek. “The one item that I felt might be of significant interest to Bryan, relating to the renovation of the municipal complex, was removed from the agenda. The administration will give a formal presentation on the proposed renovation plans at the July 8 council meeting.”
Said Borek: “The renovation will include the municipal building as well as the post office space. The post office is downsizing and will only be utilizing half of its current space. It makes sense for the township to use the rest of the space. The area that formerly housed the police department remains vacant, and is therefore underutilized. We should renovate that space so that it can be usable as office space.”
“It is premature to speculate on the funding for the renovations until the administration gives its formal presentation on July 8. There are several possible sources of funds, which will be discussed once the administration makes its presentation,” added Borek.
Published reports on the renovation work have estimated the cost at $5 million. Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh has stated that one possible source of funding is the Township’s liquor license reserves, because using this funding would alleviate the need to use taxpayer money. Though no formal proposal has been made public, the use of those reserves is likely to come under fire from fiscal conservatives on council, including Maher.
The meeting on Monday, June 10, may be longer — and more contentious. That’s when Council is expected to vote on the Grover Farmstead Restoration proposal (see letter, page 2).
On May 28 Council passed several measures, all unanimously:
The amendment to the public safety law, reflecting the language of the memorandum of understanding that outlines the relationship between the township emergency services department and Twin W that had been introduced at the last council meeting, was approved.
After some discussion council also approved two measures, a contract with Techna-Pro Electric, LLC for $97,937, and a professional services agreement with Remington & Vernick Engineers, for $6,225, both relating to emergency vehicle preemption at the South Mill and Route 571 intersection.
“This project allows EMS workers to change the traffic lights to allow them to go through an intersection during an emergency while maximizing safe traffic flow,” said Borek. “We have had one in place for many years at the Penn Lyle-Clarksville intersection, and it was decided that one was needed at South Mill and Princeton-Hightstown Road as well.”
Another safety measure passed was a contract with Continental Fire & Safety, Inc. to allow for the purchase of a breathing air compressor for West Windsor volunteer fire company No. 1, for $47,872.
Several contracts and agreements relating to road improvements were also approved: a contract with Richard Barrett Paving Company for road resurfacing, for $1,079,160; a professional services agreement with BANC 3 for administration and construction observation services for the annual road improvement program, for $24,880; and two measures relating to the installation of a traffic signal at Meadow Road and Canal Point Boulevard: a contract with Techna-Pro Electric, LLC, for $187,139; and a professional services agreement with Remington & Vernick Engineers for engineering services for $12,460.
Council also agreed to include the New Jersey clean communities program in the 2013 municipal budget, with an amount of $54,132; agreed to participate in the yearly Division of Highway Traffic Safety Click It or Ticket program during May 20 through June 2, and accept a $4,000 grant for that purpose.
Council awarded two contracts relating to bus service for the WW recreation summer camp trips and programs to A-1 Limousine Inc. and Irvin Raphael Inc., for $20,000 and $35,000, respectively.
Finally, an easement modification agreement for residents Donald and Cristen Eckel, 20 Ginnie Lane, was granted to allow them to build a fence over a drainage ditch.
#b#For the Agenda#/b#
Site Plan Review Advisory Board. Monday, June 10, 7:30 p.m. On the agenda: Ellsworth Realty Associates, use and bulk variances to redevelop Ellsworth Center, an existing strip commercial development at Princeton-Hightstown and Cranbury roads, into a mixed-use village type development pursuant to the West Windsor Master Plan, the Princeton Junction Redevelopment Plan and the RP-7 zoning district.
Planning Board. Regularly scheduled meetings on June 12 and 19 have been canceled. The next meeting will be Wednesday, June 26.
