Committee eyes speed limit, pickleball courts, shoreline and Cedar Square
PETERSBURG — Upper Township Committee is expected to introduce its budget March 10.
Temporary Administrator Joe Verruni of Jersey Professional Management said Feb. 24 that Gov. Phil Murphy was set to release his budget the following day, prompting the township to delay the introduction.
“We’re optimistic that nothing will be taken and hopefully there’ll even be perhaps a bonus. But I think Barbara (Ludy, the chief financial officer) and the auditors wanted to wait to just make sure we didn’t have to make any other adjustments,” Verruni said.
Route 50 speed limit
Nathalie Neiss, a common sight at meetings of late, asked about a resolution supporting roadway improvements and a reduction of the speed limit from mile-marker 4.87 to mile-marker 6.26 on Route 50 in the Petersburg section of the township.
Neiss asked that the reduction start at mile-marker 3.5 to include the intersection with Dennisville-Petersburg Road.
“There’s a double yellow blinking light there and it’s my understanding that the speed limit is 45 going towards Tuckahoe and it’s 40 if you’re going towards Seaville or Ocean View. There have been an awful lot of accidents there,” she said, noting she knows of at least five.
Engineer Ryan MacNeill said the resolution was based on a request from residents and involved two aspects — a speed limit reduction and center turning lane.
He said the speed limit ranges from 50 mph to 45 mph and they are hoping for a reduction to 35 mph.
“I don’t know if the state is going to reduce it much below 40 or 45. I mean, they’re not going to make it 25 because it’s a very rural area,” Mayor Curtis Corson said.
“It’s not rural in my opinion anymore and there are houses there where they back out,” Neiss said.
Pickleball courts
MacNeill discussed an ongoing project to demolish two of the four tennis courts at Caldwell Park and extend the surface to create as many as 13 pickleball courts.
Additional improvements consist of resurfacing and color coating the remaining tennis courts at Caldwell Park and the hockey rink at Amanda’s Field.
MacNeill said he received all updated quotes from the township’s co-op contractors and local contractors, noting that the local contractor quotes for fencing are about $70,000 cheaper than co-op contractors.
“So with that we are obviously going out to bid for the fencing improvements, so that will delay the construction start date until summer if all goes well with the bidding process,” he said.
Ludy said the township also has to authorize going out to bid again because three of the five members of Township Committee are new since that authorization was granted.
“Once we have that, I would expect the bidding process will be short, about three weeks, then ultimately be able to sign our co-op contracts as well as award the fencing contract, and if all goes well again hopefully by May of this year we’ll be ready for construction,” MacNeill said.
Living shoreline
Two resolutions adopted by the committee involved living shoreline projects in Strathmere intended to help ease erosion.
One authorized the mayor to sign and submit a license application for a revocable license for the Strathmere Bay Living Shoreline to the Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Tidelands Management.
The second authorized the mayor to sign and submit a license renewal application for a revocable license for Sumner Avenue street end.
MacNeill said the township had a “great meeting” Feb. 24 “where it was agreed that the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club has about $930,000 to fund the construction of the living shoreline project.”
He said the next step would be obtaining the grant through the SFEC and sending the project out to bid.
“Ideally if all goes well on this project we’re hoping or pushing for construction in July or August,” MacNeill said.
Cedar Square
Shopping Center
Verruni discussed ongoing issues with the dilapidated Cedar Square Shopping Center, calling it “a real fixer-upper.”
“It’s in need of a lot of repairs and we have gotten a couple complaints from the public,” he said.
Verruni said code enforcement officer Rich Kaczmarski has agreed to go through the complex with him.
“We are going to talk a little about if there’s any way we can try to have it brought up to some sort of level without the potholes and everything in the parking lot,” Verruni said.
“Rich has been on it aggressively since October and it’s probably time to take it to the next step. It’s probably time to get [the owner] in front of the judge,” Corson said.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
