11.04.15
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Cammarano wins mayor race in landslide: updated

Nov. 3, 2015: Metuchen’s new mayor will be a former Councilman with a lot of political experience under his belt.

It appeared Democrat Pete Cammarano defeated Republican challenger Daniel Lebar by an unofficial tally of 1,760 to 690 votes as of 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. Results are made official at the County level, including mail-in ballots.

“I wish Mayor-elect Cammarano the best and am confident that all issues I’ve been raising before Borough Council during the campaign and in my literature will be accorded due consideration during Pete’s admnistration,” Lebar said in an email.

Cammarano served on Council from 2008 until the end of 2014, when he was replaced on Council by Reed Liebfried. Cammarano is an old hand in New Jersey politics, having served as former Governor Richard Codey’s chief of staff. He worked as deputy director of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s 1994 re-election campaign, according to his professional biography.

In his professional life, Cammarano is a partner at lobbying firm CLB Partners.

Ronald Grayzel and Allison Inserro were re-elected to their borough council seats in uncontested races.

According to the unofficial tally from the borough Clerk’s office, the board of education race drew 4944 machine votes, the mayoral race garnered 2,450 and, perhaps surprisingly, two uncontested seats on borough council drew 3,539 machine votes.

11.03.15
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Borough gets Amtrak permission to re-paint Main Street train trestle

Nov. 03, 2015: Metuchen received approval from Amtrak to re-paint the train trestle that runs above Main Street, a victory for the grassroots campaign led by resident Nora Pagel.

Borough Administrator Jennifer Maier announced at the council meeting Monday Amtrak gave its approval for the borough to re-paint the trestle. The approval is only for the Main Street overpass and not for any other location, like the overpass on Lake Avenue.

Councilman Jay Muldoon, who worked with the grassroots group that included Pagel, Tyreen Reuter and Linda Vonderschmidt-La Stella, said there is still a long way to go to get the trestle re-painted.

“There’s a lot to do to make this a reality,” Muldoon said at the council meeting. This includes forming a more official committee to work on the project and figuring out how to fund it, he said.

Pagel made a presentation before Council in January on re-painting the trestle, which she had researched for two years, she said at the time. She researched other towns that had done similar projects and worked with Amtrak to figure out how to get permission for the project. “I feel this project would be amazing for the town, it would uplift the downtown,” she said in January.

The project could include lead removal, she said. It’s not clear if the borough will look for sponsors as part of the re-painting, or even what colors will be used. One resident at Monday’s meeting, Michael Geschlecht, suggested using Metuchen’s colors of blue and white. The white in Metuchen’s colors was a special paint invented by a chemist in Metuchen, he said.

The white, “is actually the brightest color white on the planet earth … the blue that’s used … is bright nautical blue, meant to be seen from far away,” Geschlecht said.

10.30.15
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Five Questions w/ Mayoral Candidates Cammarano and Lebar

Oct. 30, 2015 — We here at Triple B like things short and sweet. Make your point and move on. Don’t use a lot of flowery language if you want our attention. We’re Scotch drinkers here.

With that in mind, we sent five questions to the two candidates for mayor of Metuchen, Pete Cammarano and Daniel Lebar, to try and elicit their ideas on some major issues. We asked them to keep their answers short and to the point. Here is what they had to say (Remember to vote on Tuesday):

1.) How will the Pearl St. redevelopment project affect the borough?

Daniel: Without Woodmont, parking deck alone would simply be vertical re-format of Pearl St.’s former blacktop expanse. Woodmont’s residential influx, depending on tenant mix (senior re-locators vs singles & young marrieds currently with, without, expecting or planning children) presents potential opportunities (new retail customer base) and challenges (increased demand for municipal and public school services), re-channeled commuter & intensified traffic flows within central business district.

Pete: The Pearl St. redevelopment is the result of years of planning and public input that only happens in unique communities like Metuchen. Those sessions with the residents and merchants sought public input and helped develop a project that will enhance the downtown and the entire community. I believe the benefits from this project along with the development of Whole Foods Store will bring lasting improvements to the Borough.

2.) What impact will the influx of new residents have on the borough, in terms of businesses and traffic?

Daniel: Partially answered, above – Campbell School already witnessing classroom space shortfall in music curriculum from ‘organic’ generational churn of pre-existing housing. Overflowing trash & recycling bins between pickups is additional indicator, current intensifying municipal service demands irrespective of new residents ‘in pipeline’ from Woodmont, former ‘Bill’s Ineffable Automotive’ site (behind TD Bank on Lake).

Pete: Most traffic in town is transient or pass-through traffic from the surrounding community. Development near mass transit stations generally results in less vehicles than projects further away. Residents that move to these developments are more likely to commute by train and may not need an additional car. We have seen fewer vehicles per household in other projects near the train station including Franklin Square. Increasing the number of residents in the downtown area will benefit the local businesses and help create a more vibrant downtown.

3.) Should Metuchen be a more pedestrian friendly place? Why or why not?

Daniel: ‘Goes without saying’, indispensable for favorable shopping experience. ‘Complete sidewalks’ policy must be pursued in tandem with statewide ‘complete streets’ program – management of myriad competing uses – fixtures (Victorian lamps, benches, trees with surrounding ground treatments, decorative planters), pedestrians, joggers & runners, infant strollers, cane-dependent persons, rolling walker assists, wheelchair bound, youth bicyclists, skate boarders, devise & implement strategies, designs to fit it all in, forestall tripping hazards (likely joint study project, Accessibility, Traffic & Transportation, Development Committees & Borough professional staff). ‘Breeze’s Cafe’ achieved fullest realization of retail vision after relocating to Middlesex Ave; Torino 2, Novita similarly on New St. Main Street’s ‘in and out’ sidewalk widths from storefront to curb ordinarily pose impediment (Hailey’s Harp & Pub notable exception).

Pete: We need to do more to make Metuchen Pedestrian and Bike safe. We have a large number of young families that walk and bike around town and we need to ensure their safety. We also need to explore opportunities to expand foot and pedal power initiatives, including bike lanes and safer crosswalks and safer routes to schools for children.

4.) How should Metuchen handle the decrepit firehouse situation?

Daniel: More questions than answers at this stage. Metuchen would be well-served with licensed professional architectural guidance, perhaps sourced from examining reasonably contemporary firehouse building plans around Middlesex County (Edison, South Plainfield, Perth Amboy, South Amboy), Hamilton Street-Franklin, Somerset County or consider junior level from Looney Ricks Kiss (Boro Planner Jim Constantine’s firm).

Pete: The firehouse is in need of replacement. The two big questions are where do you build a new one and how do you pay for it. The Mayor and Council have started the process by having a Task Force look at potential sites and the condition of the existing facility. The next step is to start working toward a potential solution that meets the needs of the Fire Department and is affordable to residents.

5.) Describe your vision of the future of Metuchen.

Daniel: Confident, thriving, self-contained community, everything you need to ‘make a house a home’ available from retailers within our borders, including broad range recreational and entertainment choices, while maintaining legacy ‘small town charm’ where ‘everyone knows your name’.

Pete: These are exciting times in Metuchen. I don’t recall another time in my life when there was so much change happening at once. We need to manage that change carefully and continue to ensure that the downtown is enhanced by the development. These projects are the stepping stone of the future in our town. We need to leverage the benefits that we receive from these projects so the entire community benefits.

Editor’s note: Lightly edited for grammar.

10.22.15
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Borough tries for $300K grant for bike lane on Grove Ave.

Oct. 22, 2015 — Momentum is building to lower the speed limit along the length of Grove Avenue in Metuchen from 35 m.p.h. to 25 m.p.h. to enhance pedestrian safety.

But, as has been pointed out at numerous public hearings by residents and officials, pedestrian safety takes more than just lowering speed. There are other fixes needed, like providing sidewalks and flashing lights at crosswalks.

Metuchen is trying to do its part. The borough is applying for a $299,920 state Department of Transportation grant to add a roughly 8-foot-wide bike lane on the 1.05-mile section of Grove Avenue that runs through Metuchen. Council approved the application at the council meeting Monday. The estimated cost of the project is the same amount as the grant, according to Borough Administrator Jennifer Maier.

The bike lane would be on the right side of the road for vehicles traveling from Woodbridge Avenue toward Middlesex Avenue and Metuchen High School.

“I think the DOT is becoming more aware of the need for multi-modal transportation,” Maier said in an interview after the council meeting.

Currently, Grove Avenue has signs asking vehicles and bikes to share the road, though that signage does not have much impact, Maier said.

“People don’t notice the signs, you have little kids … who don’t always stay right up against the curb or they shoot across the street,” Maier said.

Grove Avenue has been the focus of much community activism because of its heavy pedestrian use. Residents came out in support of lowering the speed limit all along Grove Avenue in Metuchen at a public hearing earlier this month. The Traffic and Transportation Committee will consider the matter at its next meeting in November. The issue would then have to go before the full borough council, which could happen in December.

A petition signed by at least 198 residents requested pedestrian crossing lights at the intersection of Mason and Grove avenues. Crossing guards work the intersection during school hours, but the intersection is “dangerous” on off-school hours, according to Sharon Jelleme, of Aldrich Avenue, who spoke at the borough council meeting October 5.

“It would help children cross, runners, everyone in town get across there. It’s extremely dangerous,” Jelleme said.

There is no money current in the budget for the project, which would cost at least $25,000 not including engineering costs, Maier said at the meeting. There also are no grants applications for the project at this time. The project would have to be considered for next year, she said. Jelleme’s petition was given to borough council and will be forwarded to the Traffic and Transportation Committee for further discussion.

The borough won approval of federal grant money for four lighted crosswalks, including at Christol Street and Grove Avenue, Mayor Thomas Valhalla said at the Oct. 5 meeting.

The bike lane grant was one of several the borough submitted this month to the state Department of Transportation for various projects, including streetscape improvements on Main Street and road repairs to Norris Avenue and Mason Drive.

10.21.15
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Task Force: Metuchen needs a new firehouse

This year’s Metuchen Country Fair provided a clear example of the life of a volunteer firefighter.

Metuchen firefighters were out in force at the fair with a ladder truck raised high in the air displaying the American flag. As people toured the ladder truck, a call came in for a fire in the Jefferson Park Condominiums.

Firefighters immediately packed up and rushed to the scene, a residence on Newman Street. No one was hurt, but firefighters saved the family dog, Bella, who was cowering under a coffee table.

“We go from smiles and sunshine taking pictures with kids and handing out hats to breaking down doors, stretching in lines, opening up the roof and pulling people or pets out of the building,” said Metuchen Volunteer Fire Chief Robert Donnan at the borough council meeting Monday. “It’s a big thing to be a volunteer firefighter … we have to be prepared 24/7.”

Donnan came before Council as part of the Fire Station Task Force to explain the need for a new firehouse. Donnan methodically laid out in detail the deplorable state of the firehouse at 500 Middlesex Avenue, including deficiencies like a leaking and rotting roof, crumbling support pillars, plumbing and electrical issues and a door through which some sort of “critter” chewed.

Firefighters who sleep at the station lay on hose beds and pool tables. If they are sleeping near a loud snorer, they might sleep in the driver’s seat of a truck, Donnan said. During Hurricane Sandy, the firehouse lost power.

The leaks, structural weakness, even the lack of ventilation to help dry off equipment after use is putting around $4.6 million worth of equipment at risk, Donnan reported to Council.

Council took in the report of the Task Force and will talk in closed session at the next council meeting on 16 properties that could serve as the site of the new firehouse. Chief Donnan told Council some of those properties already have interest from other buyers.

Council has yet to decide whether to go with the “bandage” method of fixing up the existing firehouse, which was built in 1914, or building a new facility. The borough engineer estimated patching up the existing firehouse to get it into minimally better shape would cost around $1.8 million. That was a rough estimation made without a plan in place, the borough engineer pointed out at the meeting.

It’s not clear how much a new building, which would require the acquisition of property, would cost. It would likely require a bond issuance for funding.

Some minimal requirements for a new facility are a property of at least 1.5 acres, dual bay doors for two ways to get in and out of the facility, enough parking for 40 plus volunteers and a central location in the borough, said borough administrator Jennifer Maier in a separate interview after the meeting.

“The town is growing and changing, the fire station is falling apart, volunteer recruitment and retention gets harder every day, we’re running out of time and land to build on,” Donnan said. “The time to act is now.”

10.16.15
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Council re-purposes bond money to buy bus for seniors

Metuchen senior citizens are getting a shiny new bus soon.

Borough council at the Oct. 5 meeting approved re-purposing money from two older bonds to buy a new bus to transport senior citizens. The bus, equipped with a lift, will be a back-up to the main bus, according to Borough Administrator Jennifer Maier. The current back-up bus is in disrepair, Maier said.

“Our back-up bus is ready for the graveyard,” Maier said. “When our main bus goes down, it’s a real problem.”

The borough’s senior center can transport up to 20 senior citizens a day, Maier said. The borough provides the bus service to drive seniors to various activities like doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, even hair appointments, Maier said.

Metuchen’s Senior Center is for residents 60 years and older. Cathy Ostermueller is the director of the senior center.

Council approved taking $49,000 from two bonds: one for about $1.9 million that was floated in 2011, and one for just over $1 million floated in 2012. Council financed $944,760 of the first bond for improvements and other purposes, according to borough council agenda from earlier this month. Council financed $770,070 from the second bond for the same given purpose. It’s not clear for exactly what projects the bonds were originally intended.

Many times Council floats bonds for projects, but has money coming in from other sources. In those cases, Metuchen only needs part of the bond for the given project, Maier said. That leaves money that can be re-purposed for other uses. Council has the authority to  re-direct proceeds through a legislative process that requires the passing of an ordinance (two readings of which occur in public) and a 20-day period before acting on the new spending.

Council is now in the 20-day waiting period before it can go shopping for a bus. The waiting period ends on Oct. 28, Maier said. “We are putting the specifications together now … then we will buy a bus, but we have to get competitive pricing first,” she said.

Metuchen also has to work with its bond counsel, McCarter & English, when re-purposing bond proceeds for other uses than originally intended, Maier said.

Overall, Council approved re-purposing $310,000 in bond proceeds at the meeting. For example, Council also approved re-allocating $30,000 from a $854,064 float from 2013 to buy police radar equipment.

 

10.15.15
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Community comes out in force to support lowering speed limit on Grove Avenue

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.

10.13.15
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Keep it bright: Boro considers updated sign rules in business district: updated

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).

10.13.15
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Muldoon: Diversified funding key to successful downtown improvement

Lower vacancy rates, better mix of retail businesses, increased foot traffic, new business, retention of existing businesses and consistent maintenance and cleanliness of downtown district.

These are some of the attributes of municipalities with successful downtown areas, according to Councilman Jay Muldoon, who gave an update on the activities of the Main Street improvement committee at the borough council meeting earlier this month. The committee was formed in March.

The inaugural group of stakeholders consists of landlords, business owners, residents, members of the Chamber of Commerce, the Metuchen Farmer’s Market, the Arts Council, the Historic Preservation Committee, the Development Commission and borough council.

The group has spent time researching other places with thriving downtown areas, including Montclair, Cranford, Maplewood, Highland Park, Red Bank, Somerville and South Orange.

These towns have certain similarities, including a designated business improvement district with buy-in from businesses in the zone; a full-time executive director running the improvement district organization, along with “really active and engaged and appreciated volunteers”, Muldoon said.

Significantly, these places also have diversified funding sources, he said. These can include tax assessments of businesses in the improvement district, contributions from the municipality, including from the parking authority, fundraising, sponsorships and grants.

“You can’t rely on one source of funding to support the organization,” Muldoon said.

Money is used to pay an executive director as well as infrastructure for the improvement district organization. Money also is used for capital improvement projects, marketing and promotions. Muldoon used the example of Highland Park, which structured its improvement district into a more pedestrian friendly area using planters and benches.

One of the first jobs of the Main Street committee will be to choose the boundaries of the improvement district, Muldoon said. The committee also has to propose what kind of budget the organization will have, he said.

The committee has a series of meetings with landlords and business owners this year, “to not just share learnings and insight but to get input and feedback from larger stakeholders,” Muldoon said.

The goal is to hold a borough-wide meeting by the end of the year to present recommendations for the formation of an improvement district and present those recommendations before Council in early 2016, Muldoon said.

“No decisions have been made at all,” he said. “These are things we’re learning.”

10.13.15
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Police Chief: A 28th police officer won’t be a budget burden to Metuchen

Metuchen Borough Council approved hiring a 28th police officer at the meeting earlier this month, a move described by the police chief as a budgetary wash.

The 28th officer will allow the borough to keep in place a full-time traffic safety officer. This is in keeping with council’s priorities to keep driving momentum around the creation of a more pedestrian and bicycle friendly environment in town.

“It was a good idea to have the [police] chief in here talking about the advantages of having a 28th officer and true traffic officer to protect residents and pedestrian safety and bicycle safety and traffic safety,” Metuchen Mayor Thomas Valhalla said at the October meeting.

Chief David Irizarry made a presentation before council last month on the need for 28 police officers. The borough is down to 26 because of a recent resignation. Irizarry had authorization to hire a 27th officer but needed council approval for the 28th.

Irizarry said during his presentation in September the 28th officer would not represent an additional cost to the borough. He said the hiring would basically be a wash since the borough lost a few veteran officers over recent years who were being paid at the top of the salary range.

Officers in Metuchen are paid based on a scale: patrolman’s range runs from a minimum of $41,401 to the maximum of $90,713. Detectives run from $87,537 to $93,580. Sergeant’s range is from $92,691 to $99,089, according to the borough ordinance establishing salary ranges.

Police captain’s range runs from $58,000 to $120,000 and the police chief’s salary range is $68,000 to $130,000.