10-17-24
A Message from Your Mayor and Council
As part of our commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all residents, beginning on Monday, October 21, the creation of a paved shared-use bike path and walkway accessible to everyone in our community will begin. This project was made possible through a grant funded by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). This path is designed to promote safe, accessible opportunities for healthy outdoor activity. At the same time, we remain fully committed to preserving the natural beauty and environment that make Haworth unique. Through careful planning, we will ensure that the bikeway/walkway is integrated into the landscape, protecting local ecosystems, and maintaining the green spaces we all value. This is a project that reflects our community's values of sustainability, accessibility, and well-being for all. It is adjacent to the main walkway/roadway known as “Flats Road” along the Reservoir and does not replace it.
PROJECT DETAILS
On September 19, 2024, the Borough received bidders' proposals. The project scope includes the construction of a 1.68-mile long, shared use bikepath along the Lake Shore Drive right-of-way. It will consist of an 8-ft. wide paved path with several rest stations and benches. It also includes path signage and pavement markings. The project is funded with a grant from the NJ DCA. Anticipated completion date is 12/6/24.
PROJECT TIMELINE*
*Each date reflects a public meeting of the Mayor and Council with an Agenda that is advertised on the Borough website, in the Bergen Record in advance of each meeting.
11/28/23 Council approves Resolution approving Grant application
4/24/24 DCA Bike Path Grant discussion (grant awarded 4/17) Project consists of
the reconstruction and installation of a new bikeway segment that will
connect two existing bike paths currently in use; better for bi-directional
biking. The trail is about 1.1 miles long, from the Veolia Parking lot to the
Lake Shore Drive/Maple Street intersection. We will add some benches
off the trail as well to allow people to take a break while walking or
jogging, and since it's a lovely vantage of the water. Will be mindful of
emergency vehicle access
7/23/24 DCA Bike Path Grant discussion: on agenda but tabled due to pending information from Borough engineer
8/13/24 RESOLUTION NO. 2024-140 Resolution Authorization to Advertise for
bids for the DCA grant bike path—Lake Shore Drive
9/24/24 RESOLUTION 2024-169: AWARD OF CONTRACT: DCA BIKE PATH
PROJECT
As your elected representatives, we take seriously your opinions and feelings about the decisions we make on your behalf. We make every effort to keep you engaged and informed with these emails and with our user-friendly website. And of course, we make these decisions as residents ourselves, who live among, frequent &
enjoy the same public spaces that you do. Here are some of the recent projects/improvements undertaken after discussion and sometimes debate at meetings over the past few months and years. These projects were also funded totally or in part with grant monies. Importantly, these projects were not given any special notice, public opinion polling or additional publicity. They were added to the agenda in the same way this project was listed.
•Downtown Business District & Terrace Street park improvement
•Memorial Field playgrounds renovations and additions
•Pickleball courts
•Owatonna & St Nicholas Pedestrian Bridge replacements
•Lakeshore Drive sidewalks
•Massachusetts Ave sidewalks
•Annual street paving decisions
•Library & Swim Club ADA improvements
Residents who wished to be heard about an agenda item came to the relevant meetings to hear the Council discussion and share their opinion in the public portion of the meeting. Or we’ve received emails to our Borough accounts if they could not attend but wanted to share their opinions.
We truly welcome and value your input and feedback as we make governance decisions. However, the time to share this input is during the often lengthy public processes. The project concept has been publicly available on multiple agendas, and discussed at those meetings. Once the statutory time period for public comment has passed, a vote has been taken, and a bid has been awarded, it is past the time to engage and expect a different outcome.
We hope that upon completion, you will explore the end result and enjoy it.
Respectfully,
Mayor Heather Wasser
Councilman Glenn Poosikian
Councilman Andrew Rosenberg
Councilman Dina Siciliano
Councilwoman Alanna Davis
Councilwoman Michele DiIorgi
Coucilman Michael Rodino