We also held a special "double" town forum which dedicated an hour to updating residents on our Public Safety Facility project. After months of planning and multiple public meetings we are finalizing design and we hope to break ground in late summer on the lot at 434 Haddon Ave. This space will house our police and fire departments, provide them appropriate space and technology and give our first responders a joint home that will bring them into the twenty first century. We will take on the cost of this project as we retire old debt so we do not anticipate that this will cause any substantial tax increase to complete. We previewed a "fly through" rendering of the new building that gives a sense of layout and design. You can see that video here.
One of the biggest concerns we heard at the general town forum in April was regarding the condition of crosswalks throughout town. Again, this is a project that comes with warmer temperatures so you'll be seeing workers repainting and freshening crosswalks throughout town. Crosswalks need regular maintenance - if there is a crosswalk you'd like to see repainted you can also report that on Collingswood.com.
In other pedestrian related news, we have also kicked off the community outreach portion of a bike and pedestrian master plan grant that we are working on with Haddon Township. We collected data about street use and safety at the annual Green Festival and both towns will be hosting meetings and asking for feedback to build a master plan that improves walkability and bicycling for all users. Look for continued outreach to the community via meetings, a project website and more in the months to come.
There is so much going on in our wonderful town! If you have any questions about road projects, municipal projects or anything at all please feel free to email me at jmaley@collingswood.com. Always happy to hear from folks.