VOL. 66, NO. 9
Friday, February 26th, 2021
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Hopewell Township Committee hopes county preserves Mine Road Bridge as pedestrian bridge By ANDREW HARRISON
Staff Writer
The Hopewell Township Committee supports the position that Mine Road Bridge should be preserved by Mercer County as a pedestrian and bicycle-only structure. The Township Committee unanimously approved a resolution on Feb. 22, stating the official position of the committee prefers preservation instead of a full replacement with a 40-ton load rated bridge. The official position is only a position as the county owns the bridge. Mercer County officials were seeking an official position from the Township Committee after a previous public meeting on Jan. 27. The county has proposed two options for the bridge located near the intersection of Mine Road and Stony Brook Road. “The Mine Road is a historic bridge that the Historical Preservation Commission came out loud and clear that this is something meaningful to the history of our town,” Mayor Julie Blake said. “It has been damaged over the years. The only thing we can do as a Township Committee is share our opinion with the county about how we would like them to proceed.” A downed tree had damaged the upper structure, resulting in the bridge being closed to traffic. Since 2015, the bridge deterioration resulted in the county determining that the bridge was unsafe for use. The county proposed the option of replacing the current 4-ton bridge with a modern, 40-ton load rating bridge that would allow for vehicle traffic to resume on the structure. The bridge be would 37 feet wide with a sidewalk being provided on one side of the bridge. If the replacement option
moves forward, the county will seek state funding for the construction costs for the project under the annual allotment for bridge funding. The second option would retain the existing structure and permanently close the bridge to vehicle traffic, which also included emergency vehicles. However, the bridge would remain open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. To physically restrict vehicles from the bridge the county would erect signs and place bollards (short posts). Vehicular access to Mine Road would be provided by Route 31. “What I did also include in the resolution was the sentiment to preserve the bridge was not only held by the Historic Preservation Commission, but a majority of residents that attended and spoke at the meeting (on Jan. 27),” Township Engineer Mark Kataryniak said. The iron truss bridge was built in 1885 in the late 19th century by the King Bridge Company, according to Hopewell Township. In a 2018 Historic Bridge Alternative Analysis Report, the report indicated that the existing bridge structure had been deemed structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. “From my understanding from what the county said, if they were to repair the bridge to four tons, because it is a true truss bridge, the part of the bridge that is damaged is actually supporting the bridge,” Deputy Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning said. “In order to do the repairs that would make it safe for even four-ton traffic the bridge would look so different and it would not even be the same bridge. When we have these only two options, removing the bridge and make it a 40-ton bridge or a pedestrian bridge, I whole heartedly support preserving the bridge.”
ANDREW HARRISON/STAFF
Mine Road Bridge in Hopewell Township displays the damage from a downed tree years ago.
Pennington Council will decide on commitment to carbon neutrality By ANDREW HARRISON
Staff Writer
When Pennington Council members review a resolution at next month’s meeting, they will decide on whether to approve a pledge for Pennington to become carbon neutral in all operations. The resolution will go before the Pennington Council on March 1. Pennington officials started discussing this effort to become carbon neutral more than a year ago. “We tried to get understanding from staff on what type of impact it would have and try and get buy-in from council. My original intent was to introduce the resolution sometime in 2020 and
then COVID-19 happened and obviously had to switch gears,” Mayor Joe Lawver said. “This is something we have been trying to pay attention to for a long time as we look at equipment purchases and things like that.” He added that the commitment highlights that even a small town like Pennington can have an impact on addressing climate change. “I think it is important that Pennington stand up and be a part of the solution here. I hope Hopewell Township and Hopewell Borough will follow Pennington’s lead,” Lawver said. If given the green light from the council, the effort to become carbon neutral by 2035 will be a
process. Lawver proposed earlier this month that the easiest goal to obtain is still committing to buy and use only renewable electricity for the municipality. “As we make our buying decisions, we have to look at what is achievable and economically responsible for us. I believe we could. I would have to check the regulations,” Lawver said. “All of my personal electricity is from 100% renewable sources. I put that out there as we may end up having to do that because there are certain parts of our operations like our water system that are electricity intensive.” Because Pennington does not have space and current
See COUNCIL, Page 3A
HVRSD superintendent discusses district’s journey through COVID-19 By ANDREW HARRISON
Staff Writer
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The Hopewell Valley Regional School District (HVRSD) continues to adapt to the impacts of COVID-19, as Superintendent Thomas Smith laid out the challenges faced and efforts made on how the district has been handling the current pandemic. A discussion was held by the Pennington Presbyterian Church for its Brown Bag Lunch program series that took place on Feb. 19, designed to give insight to those who may not have a personal connection to the school district.
Smith said he would like to see more discussions take place throughout Hopewell Valley about what the district is doing and how they are doing it, with either himself, school principals and administrators. “I think we are doing a pretty good job with communicating to our parents, but I think the general community is really interested in what is happening in our schools,” Smith said. “We were one of the first districts in the area who brought in-person students back and we have been asked to share our schedules and planning with representatives from the New Jersey Department of Education as well as with other districts.” Without much notice in a meeting with county health officials on Jan. 31, 2020, Smith was informed that the schools would be touched by COVID-19 at some point, but did not know at that time to what extent. The school district proceeded to remote instruction on March
13 that was part of a short-term districtwide closure of schools for 14 days. The switch to remote instruction was followed by Gov. Phil Murphy’s issued executive orders mandating schools remain closed for the remainder of the school year. “Our remote learning was not something new to us. We had been using it for several years for our first two snow days since 2017. Students would come online and do work for their first two snow days each year,” Smith said. “Every student from sixth through 12th grade had a Chromebook already that they were taking home and students in Kindergarten through fifth grade had Chromebooks in their classrooms.” When the switch to remote learning occurred they hand delivered about 250 additional Chromebooks to individuals who had not come to school. The school district experienced only 20 families who were without internet. “We bought these hotspots
(20) to go to the families of the students,” Smith said. For the current 2020-21 school year and a return to inperson instruction that occurred in September, the district established six committees (facilities, curriculum, health & wellness, operations, governance and technology) with more than 100 individuals involved in the planning. The school district provided both remote and in-person instruction. According to Smith’s presentation on the updated numbers in January, out of 3,416 students in the district, 1,201 students are part of the remote option for instruction. “We are between Phase 2 and Phase 3 of our reopening plan. We are slowly moving towards 75% capacity with a goal moving towards in-person, full-day, full-time by the end of the school year,” Smith said. The school district implemented a screening process in the morning for those attending inperson instruction and for sports
Publication of Time Off section temporarily suspended The publication of the Time Off section has been temporarily suspended. Articles that run in the Time Off section will be published in the main section of this newspaper.
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and after school activities. Students part of the screening in the morning would have to re-screen again to participate in the sports or after school activities. “We have temperature-taking kiosks where you show your face and it automatically takes your temperature and then you have to fill out a form that you have not been exposed to anybody,” Smith said. Students are required to wear masks. They are provided one cloth mask and provided masks breaks during the day. Restrooms are also cleaned regularly and monitored, along with hand sanitizer, gloves and disinfectant wipes being readily available. Additionally, Plexiglas panels on teachers’ desks have also been implemented. The district adapting to the pandemic was not without its challenges, Smith said. Some of those challenges included some
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