Councilman Mark Holmes
It is an honor and a privilege to again serve the Township of Lawrence as Mayor for 2008. I would like to thank my fellow colleagues for their support, confidence and belief in me to serve in this capacity. I have chosen the theme Lawrence will be great in 2008. This phrase shall symbolize the initiatives, programs, redevelopment and bold agenda the Township intends to accomplish this year. In doing so, I have asked Councilwoman Pamela Mount to lead a task force examining the truck traffic that moves through our streets and highways and through the Open Space and Greenway committees to concentrate on the further development of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail and greenway paths. She has graciously accepted this challenge.
Many towns in the State of New Jersey are confronted with very hard decisions at budget time. It has become increasingly difficult to stabilize taxes, while maintaining the level of service that Lawrence residents have become accustomed. Because of these challenges we need to think out of the box with new and innovative ideas to increase resources to the municipal budget. Every year Dan Posluszny, Chief of Police has asked Council for new officers. The Township has grown over the years and the police force has not increased since 2002. They remain at seventy officers, including the superior officer. Councilman Powers suggested a new initiative, “Invest in a Cop”. This would provide an opportunity to fund a new police officer. Councilman Powers and I met with two of our educational institutions, Rider University and The Lawrenceville School, who have established themselves as good community partners to collectively provide financial resources to help the Township fund a new police officer position.These institutions were approached, due to their real estate tax exempt status. Today, public safety is every municipal government’s number one concern. Rider University has committed that they will provide assistance towards this endeavor and The Lawrenceville School has also indicated their support for the initiative.
Foremost, we will concentrate on fostering a better relationship with the New Jersey Department of Transportation to make road improvements to the Business Route 1/ Brunswick Pike Redevelopment Area. We are pursuing implementation of a boulevard plan. We have contacted State Senator Shirley Turner, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora for a meeting to help the township address this matter.
Heritage Village, a 64 unit age restricted residential development for low and moderate income seniors and 7,500 square feet of commercial space, has started and is scheduled for completion by year end. In November 2007 the Township Council, Administration and the Planning Consultant firm of Clarke Caton Hintz completed the “Lawrence Road Planning Study” of Route 206 between Review Avenue and Meadowbrook Road. There have been neighborhood meetings to discuss and make recommendations to the plan. We now have a document to create an agenda for future improvements to this portion of the Route 206 roadway.
Implementation of the plan will take time, but it can only be accomplished with a sustained effort of all stakeholders. The implementation of the plan has commenced with neighborhood businesses and property owners organizing a local civic association. There are ten recommendations, such as improved pedestrian safety, lighting, street trees, improved bus stops and the creation of a gateway entering the area on Route 206. In the Route 206 Main Street Area, the Township will be preparing speed and traffic reports to present to the Department of Transportation in order to initiate pedestrian safety improvements in this area. Improvements that will be examined include, traffic claming, cross walks and lighting.
The entire area is looking at the major improvements that are and will take place on the section of Route 1 that passes by the Quaker Bridge Mall. It is anticipated that Quaker Bridge Mall will be submitting a site plan for their expansion. This project is expected to bring additional retailers to the area. The growth of the mall indicates the strong economic opportunity that exists in Lawrence Township and Mercer County. Executives from Simon Properties, NJDOT, Mercer County, and Township Administration have been meeting over the last year to plan for improvements on Route 1, Quaker Bridge Road and the interior circulation on the mall property. These improvements will certainly mitigate any additional traffic created by visitors to the mall. The improvements will be to both the southbound and northbound lanes.
As you may know, Lawrence Township has entered into an agreement with Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township and Pennington Borough for the joint purchase of the Twin Pines Airport in Hopewell Township on Lawrenceville-Pennington Road. The Lawrence Township portion of this purchase is being funded through the Mercer County Open Space funds and money received from the Ewing-Lawrence Sewerage Authority revenue paid for reserving plant capacity by Merrill Lynch for their site in Hopewell. Therefore, Lawrence will not incur any debt for participating in this purchase. Funding for the development of the site into athletic playing fields will be made available through the Mercer at Play Grant Program. This program makes funding available for Mercer County municipalities to purchase and improve recreational sites. This joint collaboration is an excellent example of shared services between municipalities and Mercer County.
The Municipal Budget will once again present a significant challenge in meeting the demand for services against the pressure of increasing the tax rate. Lawrence Township will see an increase in wages, utility costs, higher disposal and collection fees for solid waste removal, insurance and an increase of $675,000 in pension costs alone. I have reached out across partisan lines to new Councilman Bostock to discuss the need for cooperation and a positive working relationship to address the tough decisions we have as a council. The campaign and election are over and it is now time to govern, so that the residents can continue to benefit from the services they so richly deserve. It is my hope and prayer that this Council will work diligently and collectively with me to move this agenda forward. I am very optimistic that this council can work together to improve on the past accomplishes and make Lawrence great in 2008!