ALLENTOWN – Municipal officials in Allentown have reported the receipt of a sizable grant that is expected to fund the next phase of streetscape improvements in the borough.
Borough Administrator Laurie Roth said Allentown “secured the funding from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) for construction engineering inspection and contract administration services for the streetscape Phase IIB project in an amount not to exceed $168,525.
“A request for proposals is out now on our website for the construction engineering services and contract administration position. The responses are due on Aug. 24. Once responses are received, they will be evaluated by the borough and the DOT. We expect a contract to be awarded this fall.
“The Roberts Engineering Group, our borough engineer, has secured $854,000 in DOT Transportation Alternatives Fiscal Year 2016 grant funding for our Historic Streetscape Phase IIB project. This will allow the borough to extend the Historic Streetscape Project onto Church Street.
“The construction portion of this project will go out to bid before the end of the year with work scheduled to start in the spring. We are very pleased the entire Phase IIB project will be funded with grant funding at no cost to the taxpayers,” Roth said.
Councilman Robert Strovinsky previously said Phase IIB of the streetscape project would address improvements to all of Church Street, with work expected to cover sidewalks, aprons, Americans with Disabilities Act ramps, and curbs. In addition, historic styled lighting is expected to be installed in the business district of North Main Street and Church Street.
During a meeting of the mayor and Borough Council on Aug. 3, Mayor Thomas Fritts reported that Monmouth County officials have signed off on Allentown’s planned speed enforcement zones initiative.
Fritts said the approval is for one year and will apply to all of the 25 mph streets in the borough. Individuals who receive a ticket for speeding on those streets will have a mandatory appearance in municipal court, according to the mayor.
And, Councilman Michael Drennan reported that an audit of Allentown’s 2020 financial operations and records determined there are no outstanding issues borough officials have to correct.
Drennan thanked Chief Financial Officer June Madden for keeping Allentown’s finances in order and he thanked Allentown’s employees for their assistance in providing all of the documents that were requested by the auditing firm during its annual examination of the borough’s finances.
Finally, Councilman Dan Payson said the Hope Fire Company, which is based in Upper Freehold Township and serves Allentown and Upper Freehold Township, is recruiting individuals who want to serve as volunteers.
As of Aug. 3, the fire company’s campaign had recruited four new volunteers, Payson said.
A statement posted on the Hope Fire Company website says, “We understand firefighting is not for everyone, but we believe volunteering can be. There’s a lot of work to be done behind the scenes, including running Hope Fire Company’s business. Fire Police, junior firefighter and social members are some of the positions that keep you out of danger, but still allow you to serve the community.”
For more information, visit https://makemeafirefighter.org/listing/?id=4172
