With winter almost over and spring around the corner, the West New York Board of Commissioners paved the way for their new spring and summer projects at their meeting Feb. 20.
Among their plans is a road resurfacing project that will span 12 of the town’s roads, and the refurbishing of St. Mary’s Park on 67th and Jackson streets, the last of the town’s major parks and playgrounds to be attended to.
Both of these projects will be paid for with money from a $4.5 million bond ordinance issued in August.
Fixing the roads
After a woman complained Wednesday of falling in a pothole while visiting a friend on 62nd Street, Mayor Albio Sires explained the town’s plans to resurface many of the town’s worst roads at the meeting.
“It is a good thing I was wearing my fur coat,” said the woman, referring to the coat’s padding as a buffer to the impact. “That is the only thing that saved me.”
The Board of Commissioners awarded a Public Service Agreement with Schoor DePalma not to exceed $130,000 for the town’s roadway resurfacing project.
According to Business Administrator Richard Turner, the town rated all its roads to discover which were badly damaged.
“The roads are eroding,” said Sires in August, after the bond ordinance was passed. “Because we had such a difficult winter, a lot of our roads need work.”
The bond ordinance allocated $1.6 million for street resurfacing. The town also received about $300,000 from the state Department of Transportation to repave.
The resurfacing will start with 12 of the town’s worst streets, which include: 55th Street from Kennedy Boulevard to Palisade Avenue, 50th Street from Broadway to Bergenline Avenue, Park Avenue from 60th to 67th streets, Schley Place from Park to Jackson streets, Jefferson from 55th to 57th streets, 61st Street from Kennedy Boulevard to Bergenline Avenue, 62nd Street from Adams Street to Kennedy Boulevard, Harrison Place from 62nd to 61st streets, 64th Street from Park to Hudson avenues, Madison Avenue from 60th Street to 59th streets, 59th Street from Bergenline Avenue to Kennedy Boulevard, and 53rd Street from Bergenline to Palisade Avenue.
Work on these streets will begin this summer.
New parks
The board was also awarded a public service agreement to the Ana Galvan architectural firm for $70,000 to design the plans for Saint Mary’s Park.
“We want to make a state-of-the-art facility there,” said Turner.
According to Sires, the town has been refurbishing all of the town’s large parks and playgrounds for the past seven years. The first park that was redone was Miller Stadium and Miller Park. According to Sires, that renovation cost $3 million. The most recent refurbishing was $1 million at Washington Park.
Turner said that the town had set aside $700,000 from the bond ordinance for refurbishing of St. Mary’s, which will be completed with new fencing, safety matting, playground equipment, benches, and garbage receptacles.
The small park on 50th Street, closest to Bergenline Avenue, cost the town $250,000 and will be completed by early spring. According to a representative from the architectural firm Rivardo, Schnitzer and Capazzi, based in Cliffside Park, that designed the park, the town is waiting on the arrival of the playground equipment. The park was paid for with Green Acres funding, a Community Block Grant, and some town money.