08/12/2011 - Highland Park Street Scape Project

(HIGHLAND PARK, NJ) Aug. 12, 2011 – The Streetscape Project, which will implement improvements between Second and Fifth avenues in Highland Park, begins Monday. “This has been five to seven years in the making,” Highland Park Councilman Padraic Millet told about 50 people who gathered at The Meeting Point in the borough Wednesday night for the project update and to honor Main Street Highland Park (MSHP) volunteers. Streetscape involves replacing the sidewalks between the curb and the storefronts in the three blocks, planting about 60 trees, installing rain gardens or greenery, bike racks, flag poles, trash receptacles and “living rooms,” which will feature two benches, a table and lamp at selected intersections. The equipment will be moved into the borough Monday and work is expected to begin Wednesday, Millet said. “You will have a finished look and it will invite people to hang out,” he said of the project, which is being overseen by ConQuest out of Westwood. After reviewing the drawings, Roz Beberman, a Highland Park resident, said “I like the concept of having a place to sit. It pulls the town together.” Replacement of the sidewalks will begin on the north side of Fifth Avenue and workers will move south to Second Avenue. The sidewalk work is expected to take six to eight weeks. The entire project should be completed by late fall. The project is estimated to cost $2.2 million and is being funded by state and federal grants and a zero-interest loan secured by MSHP. Millet said the ConQuest project manager wants to complete the work with very little disruption to the businesses. “He gets it. He understands that the businesses have to be accessible. He will make sure there’s a safe walking path,” he said. Business owners between Second and Fifth avenues can expect to have their walkways disrupted for part of two days during the project.