Mahwah May 5, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 7 New bus shelter Candidates compete for four seats will be installed by Frank J. McMahon The Township of Mahwah has applied to the New Jersey Transit Corporation to have a new bus stop shelter installed on the southbound side of Franklin Turnpike at the northwestern corner of its intersection with Miller Road. The new bus shelter will be purchased and installed by NJ Transit once the Bergen County Transit Planning & Management Department endorses the agreement between the township and NJ Transit and a concurring resolution is adopted by the county. Mahwah Township Administrator Brian Campion advised that he expects that those approvals will be provided over the next few months. The bus shelter is expected to be installed sometime in the fall. Campion advised that the design of the bus shelter chosen by the township is known as the “Passaic” model and its posts are dark green in color with a white barrel type roof. The front has two access ways and the walls of the shelter are clear. The shelter will have no advertising or lighting on it. The existing planter at this location will be reconfigured as needed to permit the shelter to be located diagonally at the intersection which will have a rounded curb and sidewalk that will meet the existing curb and sidewalk on Miller Road and be tapered to meet the existing pavement on Franklin Turnpike. The shelter location will be protected by bollards on each end and the bus stop will be on the northwestern corner of the intersection in front of the Gulf station. Residents who ride the NJ Transit buses have been asking for a shelter at this intersection for some time to protect them from the elements and the township council has been discussing the location of a bus shelter in this area for some time. The NJ Transit buses currently stop in the area in front of Veteran’s Park on the southwestern portion of the southbound portion of the intersection, which the council has never designated as a legal bus stop. That existing bus stop adjacent to the Veteran’s Park, which is identified by a bus stop sign that was installed by NJ Transit, but which is not a designated bus stop in the township’s bus stop ordinance, has been described as extremely problematic by Captain Robert Sinnaeve, the Mahwah Police Department’s traffic safety officer, because it can create a bottleneck at that location with vehicles being stopped behind a bus and blocking the intersection. Sinneave has claimed for years that the Veteran’s Park site is unsuitable for a bus stop because the dimensions are not adequate and they do not meet the minimum required by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Last October, a bus rider appealed to the council to consider a bus stop at this intersection. Michael Kelly, the engineering representative of Bowell McClave Engineering, the township’s engineering firm, issued a report in which he concurred with a previous report by Sinneave that the most appropriate location for a bus stop and shelter would be at the northwest corner of the Franklin Turnpike and Miller Road intersection adjacent to the Gulf station. Kelly reported at that time that a review of the topographic survey of this intersection indicated that there is sufficient area within the township’s right-of-way to install a bus shelter either in the planting area at this location or in the paved area. He further advised that the existing landscaping in the township’s right-of-way could be removed, and he recommended that curbing be installed to provide protection for those people who use the bus shelter. According to Kelly, the recommended location of the bus shelter would not cause the loss of any parking spaces and a handicapped parking space could be located there to provide easy access to a bus. He also told the council the bus shelter would not interfere with the operation of the service station, and no additional easements would be required. The bus shelter will be installed at no cost to the township, according to Kelly. Once the shelter has been installed, it will become the property of the township and the township will be required to provide the related maintenance. On May 11, six candidates will be seeking election to the four seats on the Mahwah Township Council. The candidates include incumbents John DaPuzzo, the current council president; Allan Kidd; Roy B. Larson; and Harry Williams, who was appointed to the council in January. The field of candidates also includes former council member John A. Spiech and newcomer is Daniel J Weixeldorfer, a local Realtor. DaPuzzo attended Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Engineering and is a graduate Teterboro School of Aeronautics and of the Fairfield School of Business. He was the owner of McPeek’s Tire and Service in Ramsey from 1985 to 2005 and has been a managing partner of North Bergen Holdings in Mahwah. He is also the vice president of Squires Insurance Agency and the chief operating officer of The Fountain Spas. Kidd holds an MBA in finance from the Fordham University Graduate School of Business Administration. In 1996, Kidd commenced legal studies at the Fordham University School of Law to fulfill a goal of starting a local law firm and practicing in Mahwah. Larson holds BA in political science from Washington College and a JD Degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He is the senior counsel at the Xerox Corporation. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions and other complex business transactions. He is a founding trustee of the Mahwah Schools Foundation. Spiech served on the council from 1997 to 2004, and served as council president from 1999 to 2003. A lifelong resident of the township, he is a retired senior automotive executive who was the president of Ferrari North (continued on page 21) for Mahwah Town Council “STOP WASTEFUL SPENDING, KEEP TAXES LOW” Do You Know where your tax dollars go? The Town Council position, which is part time offers: • A $7000.00 to $8000.00 Stipend. • A Pension. • Some Council Members Take FULL BENEFITS. DANIEL WEIXELDORFER MAHWAH TAXPAYERS! These include Medical, Dental & Vision at a cost of approximately $14,500.00 per year for a single person and approximately $20,000.00 for a family plan. Since the township is self insured, it could possibly cost the taxpayer up to $60,000.00 per person and or family member per year. In these tough economic times, why are the taxpayers paying full benefits for a part time job? When elected to town council, I pledge NOT to take benefits. Furthermore, when elected, I will ask the council to vote on eliminating health benefits to council members. Paid for by friends of Daniel Weixeldorfer Vote 1 May 1 www.vote4daniel.com 4-28-10 joan/janine DanWeixeldorfer4x9NoBio(4-28-10) 4x9