U.S. aid sought to build sidewalks near schools

PLUMSTED — The Township Com-mittee and Board of Education have jointly authorized a grant application for the federally funded Safe Routes to School Program.

According to Mayor Ron Dancer, based upon the federal enabling legislation, no matching funds are required from either the Plumsted school district or the municipality.

All traffic education, enforcement and infrastructure projects funded under this grant program must be within two miles of a school.

The township and the school district have requested $350,000 in federal aid funds from the Safe Routes to School Program in order to construct sidewalks within walking distance to the community’s schools, Dancer said.

A partial list of the major roads within walking distance to schools that presently have no sidewalks include portions of Jacobstown Road (Route 528), Lakewood Road (Route 528), and Brindletown Road.

The committee has also authorized the filing of an application for grant funding from the state’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund.

According to Dancer, with this grant funding the township would proceed with a preliminary assessment and site investigation of the vacant property at 6 Main St. for the future acquisition and development of the downtown’s third municipal parking lot.

In other business, the mayor announced that on Dec. 15, the Scenic View Horse Farm owned by Scott and Dana Frankel at 281 Longswamp Road became the 31st farm in Plumsted to be officially enrolled in the community’s farmland preservation program.

Dancer said that with the preservation of the 90-acre Scenic View Horse Farm, Plumsted has now preserved 31 farms consisting of more than 2,600 acres that will never have housing developments built on this protected farmland.

The mayor said the farmland preservation program has prevented the construction of more than 2,000 homes and saved taxpayers millions of dollars in school taxes.

The committee has authorized, with grant funding, to increase the current two recycling days of operation from the standard Wednesdays (1-5 p.m.) and Saturdays (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) to now include a third day during the week, Mondays (1-5 p.m.), as of Jan. 8.

Dancer, who is also a state Assembly-man, said residents may meet with him at the library on the first Wednesday of each month (Jan. 3) from 7-9 p.m. to discuss local concerns or state issues. Residents may call the library, (609) 758-7888, in advance to schedule a specific time.