Following NJDOT denying the borough’s request for funding, Palmyra’s borough council fielded concerns about local roadways.
Palmyra’s council convened Monday, June 19 where it found itself fielding questions about roads in disrepair coming off of the borough being denied funding for road repairs from the state Department of Transportation.
Mayor Michelle Arnold read a letter from Michael Russo, the director of local aid and economic development at the state Department of Transportation. She said the letter reads the DOT is unable to provide a municipal aid grant for street resurfacing.
Russo’s letter said the NJDOT received 620 requests for funding this year, which amounted to approximately $270 million in projects. However, NJDOT only has around $78 million in grants to distribute to municipalities
“The funding needs exceed available resources,” Arnold read from Russo’s letter.
In his letter, Russo encouraged the borough to apply for municipal aid again in 2018.
Borough administrator John Gural said he can’t recall a time when the DOT denied the borough funding two years in a row. He said the borough has sufficient funds in its capital ordinance, which it has been using for its ongoing pothole project, but the project has become larger in scope than initially anticipated.
Gural also informed those in attendance that shortly following the DOT’s letter this week, PSE&G gave the borough three weeks notice it will be embarking on a five-month project that will further hinder the borough from doing anticipated curb repairs.
He said residents just had their streets torn up when New Jersey American Water came in and now PSE&G will be disrupting the streets of Palmyra again.
“Those poor folks have just been through the ringer with NJ American Water, and now we have PSE&G coming in on the heels of that doing the same thing,” Gural said.
Several residents expressed their concerns about potholes and dangerous roadways during public comments. Gural responded to residents that right now they are addressing potholes in town but to totally reconstruct roadways would cost the borough millions.
Residents such as Barbara McKnight zeroed in on Temple Boulevard as particularly dangerous roadway used by vehicles exceeding the speed limit.
“The young people in the neighborhood, they’re terrified to dart out and get across the street,” McKnight said. “I do hope that something gets done.”
Police Chief Scott Pearlman said he has officers on Temple throughout the day, but he can’t have officers there all day to enforce speed limits. He said he’s well aware of the problems with speeding on Temple, but beyond having officers patrol the area, there’s only so much the force can do.
In other news:
Jeremy Jankowski was sworn in as sergeant for the Palmyra Police Department at last Monday’s meeting. Pearlman said the department started testing officers for sergeant in early June, and following the testing, it was clear that Jankowski was the best candidate. Pearlman said Jankowski has been one of the department’s most productive officers in the three years that he’s served.
Michele Markey was also sworn in as Palmyra’s newest patrol officer. Arnold thanked Palmyra’s officers for working hard every day.
“I know that you’re going to keep us safe,” Arnold said.
