Website Announcement to Residents

(An e-mailed note about this website, with minor corrections, that was sent out to residents and other interested parties.)

Fellow South Franklin Street Resident,

Here is our new blog, the South Franklin Street Project in Lambertville, NJ. Two prior posts up so far -- with much more to come.

A large group of our residents on South Franklin Street had a successful meeting with Mayor David DelVecchio, the engineer, Christine Ballard, P.E., Paul Cronce, the Public Works Director, and Bruce Cocuzza, the Police Director, on Wednesday, February 25th at the Justice Complex, where we addressed speeding and other roadway safety issues on our street.

Prior "determinations" were set aside, and a good airing of concerns took place -- that is, once we figured out how to use the City's video projection equipment! We went through our PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate to them some of the specific issues. For those who attended, you may recognize many of the photos included in that presentation on the first post at this new website.

As you may have read per an e-mail communication from Paul Gorecki after the meeting (and posted here, below), I held a brief conversation at the end of the week with Rev. Kolakowski at St. Johns, and learned that they had graciously agreed to a "One-Way" designation for the private roadway running between the two cemeteries, the drive connecting South Franklin Street to Boozer Street. For a few reasons, including the steep ramp on this side, we believe this is a very good development for improving safety here on South Franklin Street.

We also expect the issue regarding the "emergency access" to Woodcrest will be resolved quickly, as was committed to by Mayor DelVecchio at our meeting on the 25th. However, we have heard nothing further about the issue since our meeting. Details and a photo are in the first post here.

We have also decided we need a good way to directly communicate, and this website is the result. You'll see the note just posted by Paul Gorecki, communicating some results of that meeting, and important follow-up information. He also has posted a reminder of our next meeting with City officials, at 7 PM on Thursday, 03/19, at the Justice Complex, 25 S. Union St. in Lambertville. By that time, we believe the City engineer will have completed some survey work of South Franklin Street and adjoining Highland Avenue, and will have some recommendations on ways to proceed with employing traffic calming measures on the street.

Our general concern -- improving roadway safety here by reducing speeding and addressing other unsafe roadway conditions - was outlined in detail in the first post on the website in a post I wrote.

Some time ago, you may remember that we petitioned the Mayor and Council to employ "traffic calming" measures, including speed humps, to reduce or eliminate the incidents of speeding on our roadway. To be frank, we received some "lip service" but no effective response.

Here, for example is a City Council Agenda (pdf) from as recently as this past May 19th, with a posted item under "12. Unfinished Business ..."c. South Franklin Street speed reduction measures." All we were ever told was that the City's then-engineer had determined that regulations prohibited speed humps and similar measures from being employed as a result of the slope of the street. Our research -- which we have since forwarded to City officials -- shows that was simply untrue.

In the course of a few meetings at City Council in January and February, a group of us -- Eleanor Vorhees, Paul Gorecki and myself -- revived our concerns. But we quickly realized that our efforts would only succeed if we banded together and effectively and consistently pressed our specific concerns.

We do not want to have solutions dictated to us . . . we want to participate and help guide the development of those responses. We made that clear in last Wednesday's meeting with City stakeholders.

So, this website may be a first. A small, loosely organized neighborhood group has set up a website for the purpose of communicating directly with one another, as well as with the media, local government officials . . . or with anyone else who is interested.

The benefits are that we can immediately communicate our concerns, including soliciting comments and reactions from everyone on the street having internet access.

We will also be able to more effectively communicate those concerns to the local government officials, without having to pass through a media filter, or cope with what might be called ODS . . . an "official delay syndrome." As we all know, that can sometimes crop up to stifle progress.
This way, we will not have to wait for the schedule of the City Council for updates, or for a surprise announcement to be made that will change the "plan," or for the Director of Such-and-Such to speak to so-and-so, and get back to the Council next month, or read fading posters on telephone poles, or find reminders of changed meeting times left in the mailbox, or notes slipped through the door, or missed telephone messages . . . this is direct communication. The posters will still be there, along with the notes and telephone messages. But the information will also be posted here.

We can post quickly, and in turn, all stakeholders, including City officials, are invited to comment likewise. Establishing a Google account profile is very easy, and commenters can also comment using LiveJournal, WordPress, TypePad, AIM, or simply an open ID. We invite everyone's participation.

At the website, we will be able to post our research, links to governmental and organizational websites, our photos, maps, videos, all of which will be intended to promote making these safety-related changes in our street.

We will also post links to various newspaper articles that have been written about this issue, such as this recent Beacon story (with comments) or this recent Trenton Times story. And we will share information with them as well.

We have an open agenda, some good background research, good contacts, and most importantly, an interested and active group of residents who want their street to be made more safe. We'll be able to e-mail links to updates directly to the City's engineer, as well as to the Mayor and any of the council members who choose to make e-mail addresses available to us, to the City Clerk, or to any other stakeholders.

And we will do all we can to bring it all to bear on the problem. For all those who forwarded your encouragement, or who attended the meeting last Wednesday, thank you again.

Cordially,

Steve Robbins
65D South Franklin