Dear Editor:
As mayor and lifelong resident you are aware that in the early 1960’s Fifth Street became the connecting road with what later became known as Enterprise Avenue, the oldest portion of the Secaucus industrial area. The connection was made for the reason of fire protection.
You do know that Michael, because as children blessed to be raised in Secaucus we spent many happy summer days playing there. What you might not know is that gate, originally that heavy link chain, was put there in the early 1960’s during the construction of Merchants Refrigeration Company at the request of my father and the other men who owned homes on Fifth Street.
They did not want to see their quite residential street invaded by heavy trucks which would take Fifth Street as an obvious short cut at the cost of the tranquility of a neighborhood which only a few short years earlier had been mainly farmland.
Those men took action to control traffic not only for the sake of tranquility but out of concern for the safety of the children attending nearby Clarendon School.
It seems that a few years ago the former town fathers decided that it would be a good idea to open that gate for several hours each day during lunch hour. In fact it has proven to not have been a very good idea.
It has resulted in large trucks attempting to use the street to access the industrial area. It is illegal, dangerous and a nuisance.
In this instance only one resident lost his telephone and cable lines. Often a number of residents of the street have lines torn away from houses before the truck stops, if they stop at all. This tearing down of cables has resulted in damage to houses causing the homeowner to have to pay out of pocket for repairs. The driver of the truck was cited for a violation of the no trucks ordinance.
Mayor Gonnelli, as an old friend I ask you, please close the gate to through traffic to the industrial area at all times.
This problem will continue on Fifth Street until action is taken to resolve this problem once and for all. Your plan to alleviate the school related traffic with the now under construction Clarendon School driveway is a start to traffic safety in the area. Now it is time to finish the job by locking down that gate 24/7. It should be as it had been for many years only an access point for emergency vehicles.
As always the Secaucus Police Department did a great job removing this truck, but they should spend their time doing more important work.
The residents of Fifth Street are sick and tired of the large trucks, the noise and the torn downed cable lines. This is a school street not a boulevard. Do the right thing Mike, close the gate and keep it closed.
Michael Seyfried