Waldwick August 22, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 The comfort station at Borough Park in Waldwick may be getting a much-needed upgrade in the new year. The borough council agreed last week to seek a grant from the Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Farmland an Historic Preservation Trust Fund to do the project. The renovation work is expected to cost $78,000, according to Laura Davisson, the town’s new grants administrator. Half of the funds would come from the grant. The Grant sought for Borough Park comfort station required 50/50 match would come from the borough’s own Open Space and Recreation Trust Fund. This year the borough is doing drainage work to the fields at Veterans Park with the $35,000 in county Open Space Trust Fund moneys awarded last year. In recommending the project, Borough Administrator Gary Kratz pointed out that every other structure in the park had been improved recently. He said the comfort station was built in 1955 and had interior improvements done in 1975 and 1990. In addition to male and female bathroom facilities, the building also has a storage area. “It needs a new roof, which is leaking in the back. It needs gutters; the windows are shot, and so are the floors. It needs siding, and the front needs to be dressed up,” Kratz told the council. The building would also be made barrier-free. “It’s a beautiful area. It’s a shame it’s in that condition,” said Mayor Tom Giordano. Former Mayor Frank McKenna, speaking from the audience, agreed. “You’ve done a lot of work at that park. The drainage improvements have been a big help and have drawn more users to the pavilion. The upgrade will be a welcome relief,” he said. Noting that the county grant moneys have been drastically reduced, McKenna recommended “striking now while they are still available.” Laura Davisson, a Kansas native and former Peace Corps volunteer, started work Aug. 6 as Waldwick’s grants administrator. She succeeded Jordan Battisti, who resigned to move to Boston, where her fiancé had been hired as a professor of computer game design at Northwestern University. “It’s a pleasure to be here. I’m looking forward to get to know the community. The opportunities for learning are unlimited,” Davisson said. She praised the Waldwick town hall staff for their expertise, their diverse backgrounds which make them knowledgeable about all aspects of the community, and the fact that everyone is cross-trained to fill in where needed. Davisson’s own experience is impressive - spanning both the public and nonprofit sectors - and should serve her well as the right hand person for veteran Borough Administrator Gary Kratz. During her (continued on page 17) Davisson eager to interact Councilwoman Anita Bozzo questioned whether the building should be torn down and replaced with a new structure. But Kratz said that cost would be much higher, particularly because new structures must meet stricter – and costlier - state and federal construction guidelines. Davisson, who worked on the grant application, said another dimension to applying for the county grant is for residents to recoup part of their investment. “Waldwick residents have paid into the county grant fund, and they want to see some of those funds come back to be invested in the borough,” Davisson noted. “The Borough Park facilities there are otherwise clearly superior. It’s time to renovate this building to make it appropriate,” summed up resident Carol Shepard. A public hearing on the grant application will take place at the council’s Aug. 28 meeting. Laura Davisson