One of the great features of Metuchen is its hidden treasures — surprises hidden down shady roads or tucked behind old buildings.

One of those places is Dismal Swamp, an entrance to which sits in a cul-de-sac at the back end of an industrial section at the edge of town.

Another hidden gem is Woodwild Park, set amid a residential neighborhood and accessed through what looks like some sort of official service road.

The Woodwild Park Association recently launched a fundraising campaign targeting $65,000 for preservation. The funds would be used for three purposes: $45,000 to restore the horse watering trough at the intersection of Oak and Middlesex avenues that dates to 1900; $12,500 for masonry work to stabilize the stone pillars that form the entrance to the park off of Middlesex Avenue; and $7,500 for woodland maintenance and storm clean-up.

The horse trough, the bulk of the project, is rusting away. It was repaired for around $8,000 in the 1980s, but needs a full restoration, according to the association. The trough was actually a water fountain at first and is the only one of three that were in the borough, the association said.

Jacquie Zuvich, president of Woodwild Park Association Board of Trustees, drove me back there recently to show off this hidden treasure. A narrow road actually winds through this wooded area, behind houses and out to Middlesex Avenue. Access to Woodwild comes in from Middlesex, barely marked by the two crumbling pillars, or off of East Chestnut Lane via what might as well be someone’s driveway.

A hilly area in the park is a popular spot for sledding in the winter, Zuvich said. I haven’t tried it out yet, but if it actually gets cold and snows this winter, that may be first on the list.

For more information, check out http://www.woodwildpark.org.

Photo courtesy of Woodwild Park Association

Most of us will be sent off from our careers for which we spend so much of our lives’ energy with a shabby little get together in the cafeteria. Perhaps there will be cake. Maybe they’ll present some sort of commemorative clock.

And that’s ok. It’s life. But for a handful of us, including outgoing Mayor Thomas Vahalla, the end of our careers will bring something special.

Vahalla was sent off into retirement at the borough council meeting Monday in the way only a unique, tight-knit community like Metuchen can do it. The borough’s various leaders – the chiefs of the police and fire departments, the high school principal, the head of the parking authority, a former borough council president — each got time to thank Vahalla for the impact he had on the community over a 22 year career in public office.

Council itself bid him farewell with a resolution honoring his service, including the past eight years leading Metuchen as mayor. State and county officials showed up to say goodbye.

Even a contingent of former borough council members, well into their Golden Years, came early and stayed late to see the burly, bearded mayor off.

“You have a great legacy and that legacy is going to be your downtown and what’s going on in Metuchen,” said Middlesex County Freeholder Charles Tomaro. Acknowledging the political will it took to make downtown redevelopment a reality, Tomaro said not everyone agreed with the downtown vision.

Thomas Vahalla speaks at the Eastern Region Communication and Technology conference in 2009

“In the future it’s really going to be one heck of a downtown and you should be very proud,” Tomaro said.

Vahalla served as mayor since 2007, presiding over an era of big changes in the borough. He served on borough council starting in 1993, including five years as Borough Council president. He also worked as a teacher at Metuchen High School for 41 years, where he also coached girls’ softball and golf.

His accomplishments as a political leader in Metuchen included helping push through the rezoning of the Pearl Street lot and completing the first phase of the Whole Foods development. He was instrumental in the redevelopment of Charles Field, said Councilwoman Dorothy Rasmussen, who read a council resolution honoring the mayor.

Under his leadership, the zoning code and the trash pick-up cycle were simplified. Two bridges were replaced and one was resurfaced and the morale of the police department was improved, she said.

“You have enriched us greatly,” the borough’s resolution read.

One speaker on Monday, Fire Chief Robert Donnan, recalled his experience with Vahalla while a student at the high school. Donnan presented Vahalla with a white “chief’s” helmet.

“Tom cared,” said Metuchen High School Principal Bruce Peragallo, evoking Vahalla’s time as an educator. “He cared about students in his class, whether they were his better students or whether they were students that were struggling.

“He also cared about his athletes, that skilled athlete that had potential to be all-state or all-county … and he cared about that last kid sitting on the bench,” he said.

Vahalla did not run for re-election this year. He’ll be replaced by Democrat Pete Cammarano.

Meanwhile, Vahalla, who teared up during the meeting, was fairly mellow at its conclusion, greeting residents, some of whom were strangers. He said he’s not sure yet what he will do with his free time but could stay in politics in some way. His most immediate job was to head to the Pennsylvania mountains and close up his cabin for the winter.

During the meeting he read a quote he has tried to live by: “do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, as long as ever you can.”

Photo courtesy of the Eastern Region Communication and Technology Conference.

Dec. 1, 2015: It’s not clear where residents in a proposed 22-unit apartment building on Center Street will park, but there are options.

The Metuchen Zoning Board approved the plan for the four-story, 22-unit building at 22 Center Street at its meeting in November on several conditions, according to borough zoning officer Chris Cosenza.

The biggest condition was a payment in lieu of parking, which would be used to potentially create additional parking if necessary, Cosenza said Tuesday. Funds also would be used to upgrade existing parking, pedestrian connections and sidewalks.

Parking has been a concern with this project submitted by Pearl Street Associates LLC and has created a stir on borough-focused social media outlets.

The Metuchen Parking Authority committed to providing monthly parking for the residents in Authority parking lots, Cosenza said.

“While no guarantee was provided that residents would be given reserved spaces in certain locations, it was noted that there are various Authority parking facilities nearby, including by the A&P, as well as the New Street lot and the parking deck that is under construction,” Cosenza said.

The four-story building will include eight one-bedroom apartments and 14 two-bedroom units, according to a description of the project from the borough. The building will be located near the intersection of Middlesex Avenue and Center Street, but behind an existing vacant lot that fronts Middlesex Avenue, Cosenza said.

“The proposed building will not be located in such a manner where it will front directly upon Middlesex Avenue,” he said.

The project still has a way to go before construction actually begins. Pearl Street needs various approvals including from Middlesex County Planning Board, Freehold Soil Conservation District and commitments from utility companies to provide service, Cosenza said.

Pearl Street also will have to comply with affordable housing obligation and work with council and the mayor on a developer’s agreement.

“This process typically takes at least a couple months but is heavily dependent upon how aggressive the applicant is to have their design professionals revise the plans, file the necessary paperwork and coordinate with … outside agencies,” Cosenza said. “At this point, I am not aware as to when the project will be completed.”

Photo courtesy of bengt-re

Metuchen police ran an undercover speed operation along Grove Avenue last week. In an hour, officers stopped 30 vehicles for violations, according to Metuchen traffic safety officer Ken Bauer.

“The police department obviously favors a lower speed limit [on Grove Avenue],” Bauer said.

Bauer spoke at a public hearing hosted by the borough’s Traffic and Transportation Committee Wednesday at the high school. The purpose of the hearing was to gather public comment on changing the speed limit on Grove Avenue from 35 m.p.h. to 25 m.p.h.

The committee will take the record from the meeting and deliberate on changing the speed limit at its meeting in November, after which the issue will come before the full borough council, possibly in December, Council President Ronald Grayzel said.

Grove Avenue runs for 1.05 miles through Metuchen from Woodbridge Avenue to around Mason Drive and the border of Edison, according to a map provided at the meeting and Borough Administrator Jennifer Maier. It continues for more than 2 miles through Edison Township.

While Grove Avenue has the “feel” of a 35 m.p.h. road, it gets heavy use from bikers and pedestrians, including high school students walking to and from school and student athletes like cross-country runners.

Based on a recent survey of 555 students the school, 56.4 percent of students are dropped off by parents or guardians; 20.2 percent walk to school; 14.8 percent drive themselves or get driven by friends; 6 percent ride bikes; 1.3 percent ride skateboards; 0.7 percent take a bus and 0.5 percent take a taxi, said Metuchen High School Principal Bruce Peragallo. There is no busing at the high school other than a bus used to transport a disabled student, he said.

Peragallo said his concern about the speed limit on Grove involves three factors affected by vehicle speed: driving reaction distance to something in the road, braking distance and total stopping distance. At 35 m.p.h., reaction distance is 38 feet, braking distance is 63 feet and total stopping distance (combination of reaction and braking distance) is 101 feet. That distance is akin to placement of telephone poles, which are roughly 100 to 110 feet from each other, Peragallo said.

At 25 m.p.h., reaction distance is 27 feet, braking is 32 feet for total of 59 feet of total stopping distance, he said. Other variables come into play with the numbers, like the quality of the brakes, visibility and dry road surface, he said.

Compounding his concerns is the fact the high school only has two crossing guards so at most crossings students are on own their own, he said.

“A 10 m.p.h reduction in speed limit will not make them entirely safe but will make them a lot safer than at 35 m.p.h.,” he said. “I strongly urge consideration for a change to be made.”

Speed is a major factor in the severity of injuries in vehicle accidents, Officer Bauer said. At 40 m.p.h., a person hit by a car has an 85 percent chance of being killed. That drops to 45 percent at 30 m.p.h., he said. “It’s crystal clear, the faster the speed limit is, the better the chance if you get struck as a pedestrian, you’re going to get a serious injury or possibly get killed,” Bauer said.

Not surprisingly, residents who spoke at the hearing supported lowering the speed limit. In fact, no one spoke out in support of maintaining the current speed limit on Grove.

“There are times when 25 m.p.h. is too fast on Grove,” said Greg Daro, a resident of Mason Drive. “It ought to be 25 m.p.h. the entire length.” Daro compared Grove at 35 m.p.h. with nearby Lincoln Highway, which is 35 m.p.h. and is a major state road.

Metuchen staff is considering updated sign regulations downtown.

Jennifer Maier, borough administrator, said during the Council meeting earlier this month staff reached out to the Chamber of Commerce previously to discuss the potential for more updated sign regulation. Borough staff wants to meet with the Chamber at an open meeting this month to present recommendations. The meeting would be open and business owners are invited to take part, she said.

“Other businesses are definitely welcome to come speak on that,” she said. No meeting date is set at this point, Maier said in a separate interview after the meeting.

While rules governing things like signs and awnings already exist in Metuchen, Maier said the rules could use updating. “The character of signage in municipalities is changing. [There are] different concepts out there that weren’t there years ago, about what people find attractive,” she said.

Maier declined to give details about the kinds of recommendations staff will present to the Chamber before getting that group’s perspective. “We really want the Chamber’s feedback,” she said.

Maier gave the update in response to a resident’s question about what he called an “ornate” sign on a new business in the borough, Mangia Toscano at Main Street and Hillside Avenue. (I don’t believe this business is open yet, but I could be wrong. I put a call in that went straight to v-mail.)

The resident, Daniel Lebar, said he was asked about the sign by someone walking downtown.

“The sign they’ve mounted seems to be dramatically more ornate than the other signs that the Technical Review Committee has been approving in recent years,” Lebar said at the council meeting.

“The question is, has there been a change at the TRC level with regard to the sign ordinance, that they’ve now changed their standards or that there was something in particular they found especially attractive about the Italian deli’s presentation that entitled it to the more detailed or more ornate design than the TRC has been approving for many years along Main Street,” he said. Lebar added: “The sign ordinance generally is very restrained.”

Here’s my perspective — the more color the better! Main Street would benefit from more ornate, more colorful, more striking signs. The business district should be a more colorful place. After all, that’s what we’re working for, right? To make downtown more pedestrian friendly, more welcoming to crowds. Let the colors shine!

(Update: This post was updated with comments from Maier from a separate interview after the council meeting).