Boulevard Beautification Put Off For Two More Months

It will be at least another two months until the continuation of the Boulevard Streetscape improvement project begins as officials decided it would be best to wait until after the annual May street fair

Kenneth Job, borough engineer, told the mayor and council Tuesday that if the project were to begin now there is no guarantee that it could be done in time for the May 20 street fair which takes place along the Boulevard and therefore recommended the project wait until the end of May.

The ongoing project involves the installation of new sidewalks, pavers and lighting which will now be done to the area of the Boulevard from Jefferson to Franklin to Kipp. Originally this part of the project was but with the winter months approaching officials decided that it would be best to push it off until spring.

The project could take about a month or more depending on other factors such as PSE&G which is involved with the lighting, Job said. The work involves removing the trees that currently line the Boulevard in the area of those two streets. Job said work will be done on one side of the street at a time first involving the curb work and then the sidewalk and brick pavers.

Job explained they will also put in the foundation for the lighting and leave space for new trees which will be planted at the end of the project. The trees which will be planted are called kwanzan trees, which Job explained is like a cherry tree that does not blossom.

Once completed the area will look just like the part of the Boulevard from Washington up to Jefferson avenues, which had the new sidewalks, pavers and lights put in Those first two phases of the project are considered just about complete with the exception of old cobra lights which the borough is still waiting for PSE&G to remove, Job reported.

has been the main source of funding for this project. As previously reported by Mike Kronyak, borough administrator, the borough has received a total of $590,000 from the state towards all four phases. The borough puts up the money for engineering and additional costs which comes to about $160,000 for the four phases.

At the end of last year the borough applied for state funding for a fifth phase which would improve the Boulevard from Hamilton to Walter avenue.