At the July 1 Pennington Borough Council meeting, Mayor Davy and Council members addressed several issues, most notably: safe roadways for walkers and cyclers, the right to know for workers, and better water quality for all.
The Great Western Bikeway
Council passed a resolution supporting Mercer County’s “Great Western Bikeway,” a project for creating a network of safe roadways with priority given to bicyclists and pedestrians. The network also includes public transit and motorized vehicles.
Plan Details
The plan includes several County roads in the region.
- Route 546 will run through or connect to Pennington Borough, Brandon Farms, Washington Crossing State Park, Lawrence-Hopewell Trail, Delaware Raritan Canal, Mercer Meadows County Park, Twin Pines complex, Johnson Trolley Trail, the village of Lawrenceville, and Lawrence Township’s Village Park.
- A branch will connect to downtown Pennington Borough via Main Street (Route 640) and East Delaware Ave (Route 624).
- A bicycle route along County routes 631 and 632 will provide a direct connection to Pennington Borough and will bypass the Pennington Circle.
- A route along Scotch Road (Route 611) will provide a direct connection to Ewing Township.
Support
In support of the project, Pennington Borough will provide general technical assistance, guidance, and coordination, if needed.
The Great Western Bikeway is part of the County’s Master Plan mobility element adopted in 2010, the Complete Streets policy adopted in 2012, and the Bicycle Plan which was defined in the Master Plan in 2020.
Next Steps
The County plans to conduct public information sessions over the coming months and anticipates the start of construction in winter 2025 or spring 2026.
Learn more about The Great Western Bikeway on the official Mercer County website. For more MercerMe coverage on the Great Western Bikeway, check out The Great Route 546 Bikeway is on its way to Hopewell, Pennington, and Ewing.
To learn about Pennington’s vision for bicycle and pedestrian mobility, see MercerMe’s June Planning Board article Pennington Proposes Area in Need of Redevelopment, Advances Master Plan.
Water Quality Update
Council member Nadine Stern, Borough Administrator GP Caminiti, and Public Works Superintendent Rick Smith discussed the Borough’s commitment to drinking water quality and its progress in complying with Federal and State standards.
Caminiti said the Borough is applying for a claim from the PFAS (per/polyfluoralkyl substances) settlement ordered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Under this ruling, several companies that released these toxic chemicals into municipal water systems must pay for the cleanup.
The companies associated with Pennington’s water system include DuPont, 3M, and Tyco, said Caminiti. The Borough is filing its claims for payment with the firm Remington & Vernick Engineers, and Caminiti expects that progress on the project will be available to the public around mid-July.
More Business
Right to Know: Hazardous Materials: Council passed a resolution authorizing Montrose Environmental Group engineers to complete the “2023 Right To Know Survey.”
As defined on the New Jersey Workplace Health and Safety website, the Act requires public and private employers to provide information about hazardous substances at their workplaces. The purpose of the Act is to inform employees about chemical hazards so they can work safely; help first responders plan for incidents such as fires, explosions, or spills; and provide data for monitoring and tracking hazardous substances.
Montrose Environmental Group will complete an inventory of areas that contain hazardous chemicals, complete the survey for each area, and update the Written Hazard Communications Plan. The facilities Montrose will cover include Borough Hall, library, Police Department, Senior Citizen Center, Public Works garage, and several of Pennington’s well houses.
Arboretum Update: Thanks to the work of volunteers and the Public Works Department, the June clean-up events were successful, said Council President Catherine Chandler, adding there may be another clean-up session in September.
Council approved a resolution to install deer fencing around the property, paid for by the Open Space Fund, and Chandler is looking into funding for a bicycle rack.
Bethel AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church: The Historical Preservation Committee reported that an individual has expressed an interest in purchasing the church at 246 South Main Street. Historical records show that the church was originally built in 1847 and rebuilt in 1876.
Environmental Resources Inventory: The updated Inventory has been completed and can be viewed on the Borough website: pennington_eri_2024_5-23-2024_0.pdf (penningtonboro.org).
The next Pennington Borough Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 5 at 7pm.
