By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
ALLENTOWN – The Monmouth County Division of Engineering and Traffic Safety has plans to improve the intersection of Old York Road/South Main Street and Ellisdale Road/New Road.
South Main Street/Old York Road is designated as Monmouth County Route 28.
In conjunction with the project, Allentown’s borough engineer, Roberts Engineering Group, was contacted by the division to review the final plans for the project, according to municipal officials.
At a Borough Council meeting on Feb. 14, members of the governing body voted 6-0 to authorize the Roberts Engineering Group to complete the work that is required to review the final plans that were prepared by the county. The engineering firm stated that the task can be completed at a cost not to exceed $1,000.
Laura Kirkpatrick, the county’s director of public information, said the county “is concerned with the existing traffic operations and safety, including available sight distances, pedestrian crossings and potential conflicts with access to properties at the corners of the intersection.
“The county improvements will consist of a realignment of Ellisdale Road/New Road, an increased curb radii for school buses, ramps that comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, crosswalks, storm water conveyance system upgrades, milling and paving, line striping, topsoil and seeding.
“The project is out to bid with bid documents due on March 7. If a bid is accepted and paperwork is completed and signed, construction would begin in May and end in August,” Kirkpatrick said.
Mayor Greg Westfall said officials from Allentown and Upper Freehold Township have agreed on the scope of the improvements.
In other business at the Feb. 14 council meeting, appointments to several Allentown boards and commissions were made:
• Barbara Pleva and Elizabeth Smith were appointed to the Board of Recreation Commissioners. Their terms will run from Feb. 14, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2019
• Ed Gensinger and Dave Zarish were appointed to the Fire Police
• Heather Bruno was appointed to the Economic Development Commission
• Richard M. Carter was appointed to the Mayor’s Traffic Ad Hoc Committee
• Rick Jakober (regular member), Jessica Fitzgerald (alternate No. 1) and Janice Buchalski (alternate No. 2) were named to terms on the Environmental Commission that will run from Feb. 14, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2019.
And, the council authorized Westfall and municipal clerk Laurie Gavin to submit a grant application to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for streetscape improvements, phase II, in the borough. The streetscape upgrades are designed to improve the appearance of the community.
During public comment, speaking on behalf of The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI), resident Martha Ploshay asked municipal officials if they would consider renting space on the second floor of the municipal annex building on Church Street to TAVI for $1 per year.
Ploshay said the organization is seeking storage space for artifacts and documents that have come into its possession.
Westfall said there are structural issues with the building, including deterioration of parts of the annex, that would preclude the borough from offering space to TAVI at this time.
The question of finding space for TAVI was not resolved that evening, but could be revisited at a later date, municipal officials said.
Finally, a letter Westfall wrote to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Jan. 19 was made part of the meeting’s record.
In the letter, Westfall informed Lisa Stern of the DEP’s Green Acres program that Allentown “is committed to updating our open space plan and expects to complete this as part of the master plan revision process taking place during 2017. We intend to incorporate the open space plan as an element in the master plan revision.”
The mayor noted that during 2016, borough officials updated the the town’s Recreation and Open Space Inventory to reflect changes which have occurred during the past decade.
Westfall said officials would like to request funding for the open space plan update and he asked Stern for guidance on how to apply for funding for that purpose.
