State-funded bike path will run thru Milltown Citizens raise concerns of hidden costs, graffiti BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer MILLTOWN - Though the exact path is not clear, plans for a pedestrian walkway and bike path are on track in the borough. Slated to extend from Washington Avenue to Violet Terrace, the project will be funded with grants from the state Department of Transportation (DOT). A contract awarded for the work will be awarded sometime in July. "By the end of the project, it won't cost the taxpayers any money," Mayor Gloria Bradford said. Borough Engineer Michael McClelland shared a slightly altered plan for the path with Bradford and the council at its meeting Monday. McClelland shifted part of the project from the north to the south side of the parking lot at Borough Park after receiving input from borough officials and employees, and members of the public during a walk-through of the area May 10. The realignment plan must be submitted to the DOT for approval, according to McClelland. In addition, the borough attorney is working with the American Legion's attorney to reach an agreement on an easement the town would require from the Legion as part of the path. Councilman John Collins said Legion head Ron Dixon asked for the matter to be dealt with less formally, with council and organization members working together. Bradford said the groups could work in concert with the attorneys to strike a deal regarding the easement. "The Legion has been a very good neighbor to Milltown," Councilman Mike Skarzynski said. Bradford and others agreed, saying the organization has always been willing to work with the town in various capacities. The total cost of the project is estimated at $480,000, and the amount of the DOT grant is $530,000, leaving additional funds to cover related costs, according to McClelland. The grant funding will come as reimbursement upon the project's completion. Though the path will be constructed at no cost to taxpayers, a couple of residents took issue with what they said were hidden costs of the project during the council meeting. "I wish the people in Milltown would see, actually, what this path is," resident Charlie Jegou said. "It's a path to nowhere." Jegou said he foresees problems in the wooded area behind left field of the baseball field, where an 80-foot steel bridge would be constructed to pass over two streams. With vandalism already a problem in town, he said the secluded location would be conducive to such activities. As a result, taxpayers would end up bearing the brunt of maintaining the area, he said. "It's a concern, but I don't think it's the problem that Charlie portrayed it as," Bradford said. "We have to move along." Milltown has only as much, or less, vandalism than other area towns, Bradford later told the Sentinel. Though it is an issue, she said there is another footpath in town that goes into a somewhat deserted gully, and there have not been problems there. Michael Lewycky, another resident, agreed with Jegou, saying littering would likely be an issue there, and that the bridge could pose a safety hazard. He asked McClelland if an alternate route, which would not require the easement from the American Legion or the bridge, would be considered.McClelland said that would be investigated for viability. The alternate route would come from JFK Boulevard, then run alongside the borough pool's filtration system, McClelland said. Jegou pointed out that if the easement is required of the Legion, even the barter system that has been discussed would cost taxpayers money, as they ultimately pay for the services the town would render in exchange for the land. Regardless of the chosen plan, Jegou said only a slim fraction of residents would use the path, making it a bad financial decision. "That's throwing money down the drain," Jegou said. "This was a ridiculous thing to do, right from the beginning." Borough Business Administrator Denise Biancamano pointed out that the beginning was two years ago, when the council approved the project and decided to move forward. Since then, $78,000 has been spent on it, she said. If the borough were to scrap the project now, that money would be lost, and the borough would have to raise it through taxes next year, according to Biancamano. "We sure do screw up in Milltown," Jegou said. Bradford said no one voiced opposition to the project when the council was voting on it, and said she does not think the few residents who spoke out against it Monday are representative of most of the town. "Do you throw $70,000 away, or do you finish the project? It seems like a nobrainer," Bradford said.