MAYOR'S 2005 YEAR END REPORT

 

The year 2005 was a remarkable year for the governing body of the Borough of Washington. It began with the swearing in of four new members; councilpersons Alex Buoye, Heather Oakley and Andrew Turner won seats on the council in the November 2004 election and Christina Woykowski was appointed to fill an unexpired term. Mrs. Woykowski subsequently ran unopposed and was elected to complete that term in the November 2005 election.

Although a majority of our council is new to government, every one of them has assimilated quite well to their role as public officials. We have bonded as a group and Washington should be proud of the cohesiveness of the governing body in their quest to serve this community and the citizens of Washington. The 2 year goal list was quite aggressive and we have successfully accomplished nearly all of our 2005 goals, with some progress already beginning on the 2006 list.

Our number one goal continues to be the support of the Downtown Revitalization and we have begun to make great strides towards redevelopment. Two major developers are in the planning process and are currently seeking approvals for major site plans in three areas of our community. This includes two age restricted developments and a major redevelopment of retail/residential properties in the immediate downtown business district.

In late 2005, the Borough took ownership of the parking lot behind the Antique Center and we successfully acquired permit approval from the DOT to begin our mid-block crosswalk and streetscape improvement projects. These projects will not only enhance the beauty of our downtown, but retail patron parking and access will be greatly improved. As you know, the Borough received approximately $1,000,000 (one million dollars) in grant money to fund these projects. Work will begin in the spring of 2006 after many unforeseen delays this past year.

Our Business Improvement District Director, Jim Sheldon, had another successful year, as he and the Board of Directors promoted and sponsored many activities in our downtown business district. Perhaps the most profound event was the Festival in the Borough, which brought thousands of people into our town for the one day event and filled the streets with music, food, and entertainment. The Farmer’s Market, Car Show, Antique Fairs, Town Wide Garage Sale/Arts & Craft Fair, Christmas in Washington, and other events continued to remind people that Washington is a destination.

In 2005, ribbon cutting ceremonies were held for 11 new businesses in Washington and by year’s end a few more businesses had come into town. The Washington Theater will re-open mid winter and the new manager plans to bring family programs and entertainment back to Washington. Construction and clean up have commenced and we anticipate this will bring about a cultural revival to our fine community.

Once prospective developers began approaching the BID director, the Borough Manager, the Planning Board and the Borough Council, it became apparent that Washington’s secret is out; we are ready to take our revitalization plan to the next step, which is redevelopment.  Earlier in the year, the council approved a redevelopment committee, and subsequently, the Mayor appointed members of the Borough’s governing body, members of the Planning/Zoning boards, Borough professionals, and 4 members of the community at large to sit on an MP3 committee.

Washington Borough was selected as a Highlands  MP3 (Municipal Partnership Planning Pilot) Grant program community and was awarded $52,000 in planning grant monies. The MP3 grants provide funding assistance to those municipalities that are in the Highlands Region to help further develop the regional Master Plan, but more specifically, for those municipalities pursuing planning projects. 

As a requirement of the grant award, the MP3 committee was charged with several tasks. Subcommittees were established to work on the historic preservation and storm water management components. The committee has  spent countless hours working on the deliverables for this scope of work. Upon completion of our assigned tasks, the next step will be to continue on an aggressive and fast tracked pace towards creating the final redevelopment plan for the downtown area. While the MP3 grant monies allowed us to begin this process, we hope to receive additional funding to complete our plans.

 In late summer, the North Prospect Street reparation project began. Repairs to sidewalks, curbing and private property were completed by the end of September.

 Our capital street improvement plan was initiated this year and work began on Carlton Avenue in the fall. Weather conditions delayed the start of this project; however, the sidewalk and curbing work has been completed. The final reclamation effort will begin again at the first break of spring weather, when the entire road will be repaved between North Prospect Street and Belvidere Avenue. We are in receipt of $120,000 dollars in State funding to be applied towards the Belvidere Avenue project. The Mayor & Council will announce, at a later date, a few more planned street improvements to take place in the summer of 2006.

The Sunrise Terrace/South Pickel Avenue project is still underway, with plans for final reclamation to be completed at the first break of spring.  At that time, planned work will also commence on Church Street, Belvidere Avenue and Youmans Avenue West.  
 
This is an aggressive program of road reconstruction that begins to address the streets within the Borough that are in the direst need of attention. The Borough Council recognizes that years of neglect can’t be reversed in a single year, and expect this project to continue for several years, until all boro streets have been thoroughly examined and/or repaired.

In the area of Recreation, council approved additional funding needed for the upgrades to the pool filtration system. This is in addition to funding that was already received for the pool upgrades through a Green Acres loan. We anticipate that this work will begin during the late summer, but will not interfere with the regular pool season.

The governing body met with the Recreation Commission, in early December, and voted to support changing the part-time seasonal park director position into a full-time, year- round position. This change is a result of the need for a full-time professional to manage all three recreational facilities, manage the existing pool facility (which will undergo a long overdue upgrade), assist the Recreation Commission in enhancing recreation programs, and to engage in grant writing activities that will help develop the Railroad Avenue Park. An ordinance creating this position and salary range are currently being considered for adoption in early 2006, so that a qualified candidate can be hired.

The pavilion project at the Boro Park has finally been completed and the Recreation Commission expects to have a ribbon cutting ceremony in the very near future. This pavilion was donated by the Kiwanis Club of Washington. 

Much progress has been made towards the completion of Phase II of the Sanitary Sewer Collection System Project. Many of our streets were affected and we sincerely thank the Borough residents for their patience during the summer months when the streets were torn up. Many people were inconvenienced during this time, as construction blocked street access, driveway access and, in some cases, sidewalk access. The sewer connection that is to serve 2 properties on Pershing Avenue has been completed and these residents will no longer need to rely on a failing septic system.

The site work and preparation began this past summer for the construction of the new Municipal Garage. The taxpayers were spared a tremendous amount of expenditures due to the fact that the road department performed the excavation and preparation work themselves. As soon as a bid is awarded, construction on the garage building will begin. A picture of the new facility is in the Borough Manager’s office, if anyone from the public would like a sneak peek.  

Investigation into the number of streets that have been designated as no-parking zones, according to code, was assigned to a working council committee. The committee began with South Lincoln Avenue and it was determined that an increase in traffic, a multitude of safety concerns, and the concern for sufficient emergency vehicle access were serious enough that the committee made appropriate recommendations to the full governing body. The committee met with residents and after extensive research, an ordinance to amend, revise and supplement Chapter 85 of the code of the Borough was adopted, which prohibits parking on a portion of North Lincoln Avenue.  It also creates “resident off-street permit parking” for those residents on South Lincoln Avenue that have do not have off-street parking available on their properties. The committee will continue to examine several other streets in the upcoming year.

Policy Manuals were distributed to the Mayor and Council in January and they began the long and arduous task of thoroughly reviewing the 17 policies of the Borough of Washington. Since that time, Council has made many revisions and updates. The policies are being reformatted and electronic copies will be available in the near future. Once they are, they will be posted on the Borough’s website.

Likewise, the Mayor and Council will begin to examine the Code of The Borough of Washington, in early 2006. Once the Code has been thoroughly examined and updated, it can also be prepared for electronic copy and made available on the Borough’s website.

We realize that there is an increase in the use of technology in the workplace; therefore, the manager prepared and the governing body approved a Technology Master Plan. This plan will be used as a guide for ensuring that the Borough of Washington is learning and using the appropriate technologies necessary to meet the needs of the community and the workplace environment.

With respect to technology, the Borough website was launched right after the 2005 reorganization meeting and has proved to be an excellent source of information for the residents of our community. The website address is www.washingtonboro-nj.org
Residents now have access to important local and regional information, including meeting agendas and minutes. Our resident alert system is a huge success and I encourage everyone to subscribe to it.

The Borough is working on a plan to expand the municipal parking lot, in collaboration with the Board of Education & Taylor Street School. The empty lot behind the Emergency Squad building will be re-graded, paved and connected to our existing municipal parking lot. This will benefit both the Borough Hall patrons and the Taylor Street School.

In early 2005, a Senior Services Committee was established by ordinance. The purpose of this committee was to identify the immediate and long term needs of the aging population of Washington Borough as it relates to the health, safety and welfare of that population. More specifically, the committee was charged with seeking out and identifying those members of the senior community who would need assistance with chores and tasks, such as putting out trash, recyclables & white goods and snow removal.  At this time, the Deputy Mayor and members of the committee are working on creating a master list of those in need. The list will be shared with the Code Enforcement Officer, the Police Department and the Office of Emergency Management, so that the appropriate officials are aware of those in need of assistance.

This committee has explored the potential for the establishment of a separate senior citizen’s organization and will assist in its formation if interest is expressed. Additionally, the committee has made connections and is coordinating with Susan Lennon, the Executive Director for Warren County Department of Human Services/Division of Senior Services, for information gathering and disbursement to our senior population. The committee has hosted a couple of public meetings, where several guest speakers, including Susan Lennon, have provided information and seniors have been able to share ideas and express concerns.

Letters will be sent out with the next sewer billing, which will include information on how a senior in need can be identified. A form will be included that can be mailed or dropped off at boro hall. Several people, including members of the community at large, members of volunteer organizations, and the Boy Scouts will be available to help the seniors. The hope is that this can all be coordinated in early 2006; particularly throughout the winter months.

The Washington Public Library capital improvements have been completed. The appearance has been uplifted by brand new carpeting and a re-arrangement of shelving. This, along with the ceiling tiles that were previously installed, has brightened up the inside of the library.

We are still waiting for the DOT approved traffic light at the corner of Route 57 and Prospect Street and hope that this installation will take place in early to mid 2006. This is an area of great concern for the safety of our school aged children, who cross the highway on their way to school each day. It is also a very difficult intersection for turning left on to the highway from either North or South Prospect Streets. We have been informed by the DOT that it is in the design phase.

The governing body is researching several changes in garbage pickup, as we consider the next garbage contract. Complaints and suggestions from citizens have resulted in the consideration of several changes, including, perhaps twice a week pick up and other options. We anticipate awarding a new contract in early 2006 and will remain conscious about budgetary constraints.

We are still awaiting final word on our trial with Baker, which took place on November 18th. The judge declined final decision at that time and we were advised that a decision would be forthcoming.

In December of 2005, the governing bodies of Washington Boro and Washington Township held an historic joint meeting at the Township municipal building for the purposes of negotiating a shared service. Preliminary negotiations regarding a possible shared court began in late summer and much research was done. Initially, it seemed as though the Township and the Borough could strike a deal. However, in late fall, additional information was made available to both governing bodies and it became apparent to the Borough Council that some recalculating needed to be done. A revision of the expected shared costs were re-evaluated by both municipalities and thoroughly discussed at the joint executive session meeting. Due to budget constraints the Township chose to enter into a shared court agreement with Mansfield Township, rather than the Borough. No hard feelings have been expressed from either side and we truly respect the Township’s fiscal responsibilities to their constituency.

The outcome of the December joint meeting resulted in a renewed and very positive relationship between the Washington Borough Council and the Washington Township Committee. Both municipalities agreed that the future will include continued positive relations and we welcome the opportunity to explore more shared services in the future. This is truly another new beginning.

We will begin to revise the council goal list this month and we appreciate the community support that we have received this past year. I predict that the year 2006 will be a turning point in Washington’s history, as we realize the completion of several improvement projects. As always, the Mayor and Council wish to recognize the tireless efforts of our volunteer firefighters, emergency squad members, recreation commissioners, shade tree commissioners, planning board and board of adjustment members, library board members, and members of other various municipal boards. It is also important to recognize our dedicated police department, road department and staff at Borough Hall for all they do in serving the needs of the community.

After years of dedicated service, our Borough Clerk, Linda Hendershot submitted a letter expressing her decision to retire in June of 2006. Linda is a true professional and has served this community well over the years. We will truly miss her and wish her much happiness as she enters retirement.

I believe that the community of Washington maintains a focus on Family, Friendship, Faith and Service. All of us here have been called to serve. Let us continue to do that with a healthy balance of humility, pride, grace, truth, determination and fairness to all.