Grants Would Fund Road Improvements and Upgrade Fire Department Equipment

The borough is applying for a number of grants of which the funds received would be put towards planned road improvement projects and towards upgrading some fire department equipment.

The borough has applied to the state Department of Transportation for the next phase of the ongoing Boulevard streetscape project. The borough has received about $590,000 in total so far towards the construction in the first four phases and is now seeking additional funds for phase five - the area of the Boulevard from Hamilton to Walter Avenue.

Work to phases three and four, which is Jefferson to Franklin to Hamilton, will begin this fall officials have said. The first two phase, Washington up to Jefferson is complete. The improvements include the installation of new pavers and curbs, lighting and new walkways which are made of a material known as thermoplastic which resembles bricks but is said to be more durable.

An application for a Bergen County Community Development Grant which is part of the safe routes to school program has also gone in to fund the curb cuts to the areas of Burton and Summit Avenue. Kronyak said this would go towards the second phase of this project.

In addition the borough is applying for the amount of $75,000 towards a computer-aided dispatch system for the fire department which would provide fire fighters with  computerized layout of the scene of an emergency. If the borough is awarded the grant,  the  majority of the funding would be put towards the purchase and installation of about eight  “tough books” with the software and another $10,000 would go towards an upgraded record and file keeping system at the fire department, Kronyak explained.