Manager's Report for the November 9, 2023 Council Meeting

 

               1. Mike Rodgers Retirement:

Our Construction Official, Michael Rodgers, is scheduled to retire on November 30, 2023.  Mike has served Lawrence Township since July 23, 2001.  He became our Construction Official after Anthony Cermele’s retirement in July 2020.  Mike has done a tremendous job, and I enjoyed working with him.  I want to publicly thank him for his good work and wish him the best in his retirement.

We have a succession plan, and an announcement will be made shortly concerning promoting a current staff member to the position of Construction Official.

Keeping in line with the Construction Office, some of you may know that we have transitioned our permit process to an online portal (accessed through our township website) for residents and business owners working with the Construction Office for building inspections.  The entire staff underwent extensive training over the past year. 

The system is by Mitchell-Humphrey and is called FastTrackGov.  Its purpose is to make the permitting process more transparent and user-friendly.  It allows applicants to view the progress of their permits and identifies whatever issues must be addressed.  This system reduces phone calls to the office and provides immediate information to the end users – our residents and business owners. 

Recently, we included the ability to pay online with a credit card.  Our inspectors were also provided with field handheld devices to input their findings, reduce paperwork, and streamline their process.   Additionally, the plan is to transfer all available historical public documents (documents subject to OPRA) to reduce the staff hours necessary to respond to OPRA requests.

Our Health Department has begun the training for a similar transition to streamline health inspections and better serve our residents and the business owners in our community.

2.     Safety Concerns at Route 206 and Eggert Crossing Road intersection. 

        As you may know, this intersection is rather busy during school hours with motor vehicle traffic and pedestrian traffic (mostly students walking to and from school).  Over the past several years, the intersection has been the subject of study to determine how it can be made safer.  Route 206 is a State-owned road, which limits our ability to address the issue on a local level 

Recently, our Municipal Engineer was able to advocate successfully to the NJDOT for positive changes.  It has agreed to add a 4-inch wide stripe along the curb line of Eggert Crossing Road at Route 206 and widen the sidewalk area to increase the buffer zone (motorists' travel lane and the sidewalk).  Additionally, we petitioned the NJ DOT to create a 25 mph School Zone at the intersection in both directions along Route 206 to include flashing lights to warn of children in the area.  In a letter dated October 27, 2023, the NJ DOT informed us that its Division of Traffic Engineering will investigate the current conditions to determine if the requested 25 mph is warranted. I will report back once we receive their conclusions.

 3.    Federal City Road and Federal Point Warrant Analysis for Traffic Light

As you know, we have a 55+ community located on Federal City Road known as Traditions at Federal Point.  This site borders Hopewell Township which had approved a 300-unit housing development known as Woodmont directly across the street from the entrance at Traditions.  With the approval of this large development on the border of Hopewell, the impact to traffic in the area is evident and the concerns of residents living nearby were justified.  Specifically, our Lawrence residents our currently experiencing difficulty in safely exiting from their development onto Federal City Road and Ewing and Lawrence Residents near the intersection of Bull Run Road and Federal City Road have the same concerns.  As a result, officials from Hopewell, Lawrence, Ewing and Mercer County met to determine how best to address the issues with traffic lights at the forefront – first at Bull Run Road.  Since we believed this light would not adequately address the specific needs of our residents, we undertook a warrant analysis study to determine whether a traffic light was justified at the entrance of Traditions.  Before installing a traffic light, this type of analysis is required by the NJDOT. 

We recently received the report from our traffic consultant, and I shared it with you yesterday by email. A summary of the report is as follows:

The traffic signal warrant analysis is a comprehensive investigation of traffic conditions and physical characteristics. This analysis is required to determine the necessity for the installation of a new traffic signal.  Additionally, the analysis is performed to properly assess the roadway infrastructure design and smoother operation of traffic flow. The field observations, existing traffic volumes and roadway characteristics were compiled and executed in traffic signal warrant analysis worksheets as set forth in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, 2009 Edition (“MUTCD”) Revisions 1, 2 & 3. The MUTCD guidelines are published by the Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”).

A traffic signal warrant analysis generally involves the investigation of the existing or proposed traffic conditions, pedestrian characteristics, and geometric alignment of a study location. The traffic signal warrant investigation is comprised of analyzing several factors related to the existing operation and safety of the study location. The factors are utilized to determine if signalization will improve the traffic flow compared to unsignalized conditions.

The MUTCD outlines a total of nine (9) traffic signal warrant criteria, which are applied to determine if signalization is justifiable.

The 105-page report essentially states the following:

• The intersections of Federal City Road with Bull Run Road and Federal Point Boulevard both meet the warrant for a traffic signal.
• While signals are recommended at both intersections, it would be most beneficial to Lawrence Residents to have a signal at Federal Point Boulevard.
• A signal at only Federal Point Boulevard will provide minimal benefit to the intersection of Bull Run Road.  Similarly, a signal at only Bull Run Road will provide minimal benefit to the intersection of Federal Point Boulevard.
•  There should be no issue with the proximity of US Route 295.
• Widening for opposing left turn lanes would likely be recommended at Federal Point Boulevard.  This will result in increased costs and utility impacts. 

 

        Our Traffic Consultant wasn’t asked to provide an estimate, but our Municipal Engineer believes the cost would be in the $500,000 range for a signal at either location. 

 

         I plan to meet with officials from Hopewell and Ewing to discuss plans if our governing body is supportive.  It is my recommendation, based on public safety needs, that we aggressively pursue the traffic signal at Federal Point and seek the cooperation and contribution of Hopewell and Ewing for this work.

POST SCRIPT:  At the council meeting, the governing body supported the plan to install the light after reaching an agreement with the adjacent towns (Hopewell and Ewing) on sharing costs.   

4.     4. Hero Park:

         If you drive by Hamnett Park off Ohio Avenue, you see the active work being done to create our dog park, which will include two dog-run areas and a walking path around the perimeter for pedestrians to use for exercise.  We expect the work to be completed in about a month.  We need several months for grass to grow within the areas before opening up for use.  April 2024 is the target time frame for a more formal opening.

 

5.    5.    Colonial Lake Park:

         As you may have heard, the walking path on the Northern side of the Lake has been completed, which completes the loop around the lake.  We have a Lake Management Grant of $316,800 funds available for hydro-raking, shoreline restoration, and asphalt removal of that portion of the Sheft property we acquired behind the bowling lane building.  Our match to this grant is $79,200.   

6.    6.     Eldridge Park:

         NJ DOT presented us with an opportunity to apply for the funding of a local project involving pedestrian improvements.  It is a Pilot Program to install porous pavers on a Township site to showcase the product and other park improvements.  The project would be administered as a grant, but all aspects – design, construction, and inspection – would be funded by the state.  We were identified as a possible recipient based on our reputation and ability to deliver funded projects.

 

We identified Eldridge Park as an area that could be improved with a porous walking path around the park's perimeter.  It is envisioned as a gently curving path outside the drip line of the mature trees, constructed of porous materials to minimize stormwater impact.  Our application includes a request for four designated parking spaces, including a handicapped accessible space at the existing depressed curb on Tulane Avenue and miscellaneous park improvements such as benches, trash receptacles, and additional landscaping.  The cost estimated and applied for is $415,725.

This project, if awarded, would complement the planned equipment upgrade through the NJ DCA Local Recreation Grant of $65,000 we received and recently were approved to spend and will provide linkages between play areas. 

I believe it is critical for us as a municipal government to make sure that all areas of our community are meaningfully addressed for capital improvements – and our community parks are good means to improve the quality of life for the nearby residents.

7.     Lawrence Nature Center:

         As you know, we received grant funds for $88,000 for improvements to the exterior grounds of the Nature Center.  For design work to create and install a more formal parking area, fix the patio on one side of the building, and install lighting to better improve accessibility to the building.  We have begun the design work.  We also have some funding designated in the Capital fund to complete this work.

 

In addition to the exterior work, we are exploring possibilities for a project that will include interior furnishings and lighting upgrades for potential displays and exhibits for the ground floor of the Nature Center and detached garage.

8.     Career Firefighter Hiring’s:

         We received the list of eligible firefighters from NJ Civil Service. Those who were eligible were required to take the physical skills examination, and once that was completed, we received the final eligibility list.  We then conducted six interviews for the three available positions. Offers of employment will be going out over the next couple of days.   

 

9.    9.  Report and Recommendations for a New Fire & EMS Station for Lawrence Township:

As everyone knows, we received a grant from the NJ Department of Community of Affairs for $725,000.  The grant award aims to provide funding for engineering and architectural design, environmental studies, and preparation of bid documents for a new centralized Emergency Management Operations Center.

The township engaged Cotter Strategies, LLC, a fire and emergency services consulting firm, for the first phase of the process.  Specifically, to study the existing fire stations and perform a need assessment to better understand what will be required for a new central station.  This determines the type and size of the facility we will need as a community for a central fire/EMS and 911 facility.

We do expect to receive the report in the coming weeks.  The preliminary conclusion is that the study team supports the construction of the new facility at the proposed location adjacent to the Municipal Building and that a central facility will provide important benefits.  Reducing the number of fire station houses will reduce duplication of equipment and apparatus, resulting in significant cost savings for taxpayers.  Moreover, a new facility will provide improved facilities for the health and safety of personnel, integration of the EMS and Fire Operations, further integration of career and volunteer members as a part of a combination organization, co-location of the Office of Emergency Management, the Emergency Operations Center, the local 911 emergency communications center and potential other administrative offices.

Once the report is received, it will be shared with you and the community.   I will say this again publicly: I value the volunteer fire companies' service to our community in the past, the present, and for the foreseeable future.  I am committed to taking responsible action to support and improve the volunteer firefighter service to our community.

POST SCRIPT:  At the meeting, a resident stated during public participation that he felt we should be taking our time and proceeding slowly.  We are.  But we must begin, and that is what we are doing.  Putting our heads in the sand and hoping things improve is not a valid or responsible plan.  We identified that our community has a serious public safety issue, and we applied for and received a grant for $725,000 to study the issue and provide our elected officials with all of the information necessary for them to make an appropriate decision on behalf of the community - to answer the question of whether to build a central Fire/EMT facility and if the Municipal Campus is the appropriate place to do so.  We must begin the process to make these decisions, not let important projects languish.   We will rely on the objective data related to our community and our response record to fire calls, etc., the advice and recommendations of highly qualified professionals we retain to act in our best interests and in the interest of public safety, and our judgment on the proper course of action to take.   

For whatever reason, people wrongfully believe that a decision is to be made soon on these very serious community issues, and that is simply not the case.  The matter will be researched, studied, and investigated, and once all of the information is compiled, the elected officials will decide whether to move forward - and will do so after public meetings and listening to comments and opinions from residents.  

10.                       Craft Cleaners site and the Pit Stop site:

         1840 Brunswick Avenue is presently a vacant and abandoned lot along Brunswick Avenue (across from Burger King) that we have targeted to address in some meaningful as it languished for decades first as an abandoned building that used to be the site of a local business known as Craft Cleaners, which was demolished through township efforts years ago.  The land is currently owned by a defunct LLC with unresponsive members who acquired the property, I believe, through a sheriff sale but then realized its potential for being contaminated, and the LLC simply ceased operating as a business entity, leaving the land unattended and left to accumulate tax liens.

         As we began the process of actually doing the work necessary to improve the Brunswick Streetscape, a concept in existence for decades but not meaningfully acted upon, we identified this vacant site as an important piece to address. 

        Much like we have handled the Pit Stop site, we applied for an NJ EDA under the HDSRF Program and received a grant for $132,845.  The grant was to fund a Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation of the property to determine the extent of the contamination and the need for remediation. 

         Since receiving approval, we have engaged Langan Environmental Group to perform the assessment and site investigation.  That work has started, and that process will take time.  Once it is completed, we will better understand the remediation work necessary to get the property “clean.”   Once the NJDEP issues a No Further Action Letter, we hope to obtain title through foreclosure. However, in contrast to the “Pit Stop” application, the ultimate goal for the site is for redevelopment consistent with our overall goal of improving Brunswick Avenue as a pedestrian-friendly mixed-use area.

           The Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation have been completed for the Pit Stop, and the final report has been submitted to the NJDEP for review.  We await their response to pursue further grant funding for the remediation work.

 

11.                       2024 Budget Process:

           Department heads had submitted their budgets to our CFO, Peter Kiriakatis.  Pete has provided me with a copy and has conducted his preliminary meeting with the department heads.  We will then get together to begin the preparation of the recommended budget to present to the governing body.  Once the new council members are sworn at reorganization, the governing body can work out the plan for the public budget process.

 12.                        Grant Game:

         Throughout my report, you have heard the word grants.  We are committed to keeping our community vibrant and moving forward with improvements by funding these projects from grants.   As I began as the Municipal Manager, it was readily apparent that we did not have a formal grant program with a designated and dedicated staff member to the point person.  We made the decision to make our part-time Municipal Engineer, Brenda Kramer, full-time and have her take over as our designated grant person.  She has done an amazing job, and we have improved our ability to identify grants, apply for them, and execute them when funds are received.  It has also motivated our department heads to find grant opportunities to help realize their vision for the services they help provide to the community.

For 2023, we have applied for over $6,088,847 grants and have been awarded $3,608,847 in grant funds, with applications for over $2,934,732 and $675,867 already awarded for 2024.   These funds allow us to improve upon our infrastructure when our finances would preclude us from doing so, and also reduce the amount we would need from our taxpayers by the amount we are rewarded.  Millions of dollars each year.  

13.                        From the Rec Department:

Deck the Town Hall Tree Lighting and More

December 8th, starting at 6 pm:

·       Cookie Decorating

·       Reindeer Food Making

·       Trackless Train Rides

·       Mechanical Reindeer-new this year

·       Hot Chocolate

·       Cookies

Holiday House Decorating Contest:

December 1-14

·       Houses around town compete for the title of the best-decorated holiday house and other categories.

 

Jolly Trolley:

December 15th

·       Drive around town in a Victorian-style trolley and enjoy the wonderfully decorated houses in Lawrence Township.