The Eleven Roads Ahead

Scotch Plains municipal manager Christopher Marion called for substantial road improvements in a draft proposal he introduced to the township council Tuesday night. The proposed projects involve 11 streets, from cul-de-sacs to thoroughfares, on both the north and south sides of town. 

"We are taking the 2009 list of [roadwork projects], which had to be postponed due to budget problems, and added Ravine Court, which suffered a lot of damage in the winter," Marion said. 

The roads originally slated for 2009 include Dogwood Drive, Frances Lane, Gallagher Avenue, Stonybrook Circle, Tanglewood Drive, Hill Top Road, Michael Lane, Overlook Way, and Evergreen Boulevard from Greenside Place to Mountain Avenue.

The projects are part of a draft proposal for the town's annual Capital Improvement Plan. For 2010-11, Marion said, the cost for the entire plan will fall between $1.5 and $2 million. 

Assistant engineer and assistant zoning officer Joseph Timko, who assisted Marion during the proposal's presentation to the council, added that the Hetfield Avenue bridge requires repaving. But because the bridge shares a border with Fanwood, he said, and because it straddles train tracks owned and operated by New Jersey Transit, that project would require approval from both the Fanwood Borough Council and New Jersey Transit. 

Later in the evening, after closing discussion of the Capital Improvement Plan, the council unanimously approved special use permits for outdoor seating for the Swiss Pastry Shop and Popeye's restaurant.

The council also issued an honorary resolution in recognition of 68-year resident Don Wussler, who earned the Fanwood-Scotch Plains Rotary Club's "Volunteer of the Year" award.

"The Township Council of the Township of Scotch Plains congratulates Don on his award," the resolution states, "and recognizes his many contributions to the residents of Scotch Plains."

The resolution cites Wussler's service as a Korean War veteran who earned a Purple Heart, a member of the Lion's Club, a baseball and football coach, and a member and chairman of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Memorial Day Parade.

Councilman Dominick Bratti said he will present the award to Wussler on Wednesday night, at a Rotary Club dinner in Wussler's honor. More information here.