Hopewell Borough council officials unanimously adopted a $560,000 bond ordinance to improve North Greenwood Avenue.
During the July 1 council meeting, Council President Charles Morehouse, Councilman Ryan Kennedy, Councilman David Mackie, Councilwoman Samara McAuliffe and Councilwoman Debra Stuhler voted ‘yes’ to approve the motion.
“We have a long term schedule and this item had been on the list for a while. The quite large grant that we received from the state allows for this to happen,” Kennedy said. “I believe we will not have to use the entire bond. We are finally able to get this project going which has been something on our agenda for some time.”
Officials said they are expecting a $392,260 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the project.
“Those grants represent a major part of tax relief and I do not know if we would be able to afford the project as a community without help from the state,” he explained.
According to officials, the bond ordinance funding will be used to repave the entire stretch of North Greenwood Avenue, add and replace curbing and install ADA-compliant ramps and a new crosswalk at the intersection of North Greenwood Avenue and Hart Avenue.
“Roads need to get paved. It is one of the major costs after water and sewer infrastructure in town. The grants from the state allow us to keep our roads in a state of good repair without dipping to much in our local tax base,” Kennedy said. “The new crosswalk ties into pedestrian safety. Every time we have a project like this in town we are looking at even if it is a small improvement to pedestrian safety.”
According to Business Administrator Michele Hovan, the project will be designed in the fall, bids will go out over the winter and the work is expected to be done in the summer of 2020.
