Work on the $725,000 improvements to Boulevard East in Guttenberg began last week, a project that will eventually include a passive park for residents to enjoy the view of Manhattan in a peaceful setting.
The funding for the project is coming all from county and state grants. Guttenberg received $250,000 from the Hudson County Improvement Authority and another $425,000 from the state Department of Transportation.
The work will include new sidewalks, streetlights, benches and streetscapes for the area, as well as the passive park located right near the existing war monument – a park that will be especially utilized by the senior citizens who live in the senior building directly across the street.
“We’re really excited that work has begun,” Guttenberg Mayor David Delle Donna said. “It took a lot of time first in setting up the funding, then to getting the engineer on line, but we’re moving forward.”
While Delle Donna was pleased to report that the construction crews had begun the process of tearing up the existing sidewalks and replacing them with pavement stones that will enhance the beauty of the area, he also had to report that there was a slight problem that caused a delay in the project.
“While digging up the sidewalks in front of the Galaxy (luxury condominium complex), we found a spot in the sidewalk that was peaking,” Delle Donna said. “The engineers (the highly respected Schoor DePalma of Parsippany) ordered to dig some bore holes to find the problems and we learned that we have to put some thicker slabs under the dirt, much thicker than we anticipated.”
Because of the problem, work was temporarily halted until the engineers could devise new specifications using the thicker slabs for the sidewalk.
“Part of the sidewalk had to be closed and we also had to close the horseshoe entrance of the Galaxy for a couple of days,” Delle Donna said. “The people at the Galaxy have been very cooperative, and they’re working with us. There have been some inconveniences, like walking in the street, but once we get those specs done, we can move right along.”
Delle Donna said that the first two phases of the project should be completed by the end of the summer. The third phase, which is the sidewalk on the western side of Boulevard East, may begin work later this summer, but realistically, should be completed by spring of 2005.
Delle Donna said that there have also been some parking spaces that have been temporarily taken up by construction crews and by the materials being left there to complete the project.
“Any time we lose parking spaces in Guttenberg, it’s never good,” Delle Donna said. “But it’s only for a couple of days, until we can get started again. People have offered some concerns, whether the parking will be permanently taken away and I can assure you that it will not be the case. Once this project is completed, there will be the same one lane of parking on Boulevard East. We won’t lose any permanent parking from this project.”
So the residents of the area might be slightly inconvenienced for the time being, but Delle Donna is sure that they will enjoy the finished product.
“I believe everyone will be pretty happy,” Delle Donna said. “It’s hard to envision what it would look like until it’s done. Right now, you can’t get the effect of what it will look like. But all the other towns along the Boulevard have parks for the residents to sit and enjoy the view. Ours will be smaller, but at least, we’ll now have something.”
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