Page 14 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • May 30, 2012 Midland Park borough officials hope the next time will be the charm for getting state funding for the reconstruction of Spruce Street/Highwood Avenue. The council last week agreed to submit the new application to the NJ Department of Transportation Municipal Aid program for the project. Three previous applications for the work, in 2008, 2009 and 2010 proved unsuccessful. “We think we have a better chance this year. The street is heavily traveled and is now in much worse repair,” said Borough Clerk/Administrator Addie Hanna. Capital Alternatives, the borough’s grant consultants, will prepare the applications as they have done for past NJDOT grants. Hanna said that one of the grant writers previously worked for the DOT funding department and would hopefully have an edge in tailoring the application to the required criteria. Hanna said the borough is also waiting to hear whether it will get any funds from a federal transportation program for which officials have also applied. Town to seek DOT grant for Spruce/Highwood again “We could never do it on our own without grant funds,” Hanna said. The project would include drainage, curbing and resurfacing of the mile-long connector roadway. It would likely cost nearly a half-million dollars and would probably have to be done in stages, as other large projects have been done in the past. Previous plans have called for the roadway, which varies in width, to be paved to a uniform width of 29 or 30 ft. New curbs are needed to delineate the edge of the pavement for added safety and to control drainage flow and thus avoid flooding of roadway and private property. Spruce Street residents have complained for years about flooding. In the 1980s the borough provided relief to the worst-affected area by channeling storm water down the ravine to Monroe Street in Ridgewood. The development, known as “The Estates”, was built after World War II with no storm drainage system. The council also agreed to apply for a Bergen County Open Space and Recreation Trust Fund grant to recon- struct the handicapped-accessible playground at the Dairy Street Recreation complex. Any funds received would have to be matched dollar for dollar from the borough’s Open Space Fund. No cost estimate was available at this time. Hanna said the existing playground, which was built up to federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards in the 1990s, no longer meet the code because much of the equipment is outdated. She said the borough’s insurance consultant would be asked to provide an audit of the equipment and its value. Councilman Bernie Holst asked if tree work could be done at the same time and applied for at the time of the grant. Hanna said the work could be done from the local open space fund but would not be matched by the county. Council President Nancy Peet asked that as deteriorating trees are replaced on borough property they be replaced either in the vicinity or elsewhere so as to maintain the “green” landscape of the town. Four Midland Park teachers have been recognized as outstanding educators under the Bergen County Teacher Recognition Program. Barbara Makela, the math basic skills teacher at Godwin School; Eileen Brown, a third grade teacher at Highland; Jason Gangi, a special needs teacher in the junior high; and veteran high school math teacher Leon Varjian were honored at the start of the board of education meeting last week. Elementary Principal Danielle Bache praised Makela, who started as an aide in 1999 and as the math basic skills teacher in 2005, for her dedication to the children and to mathematics. “She is passionate about her subject and wants to help all children learn and more importantly understand mathematical concepts. Her lessons are multisensory and move from the concrete to the abstract. Barbara also assists the classroom teachers by providing them with resources and alternate instructional strategies. Barbara is a dedicated learner and contin- Four teachers recognized for their achievements ues to educate herself through graduate courses and workshops,” said Bache. “She has been an asset to the students, staff and administration at the Godwin school. “ Brown also started her teaching career in Midland Park as an aide (in 1995) and then became a third grade teacher, and has taught in collaborative settings with special education students and the hearing impaired population since 2001. “She is an innovative and energetic teacher who incorporates technology into many of her lessons. She uses the inter write board for interactive lessons and the elmo document camera to display samples or student work. Eileen plans lessons that engage her students and excite them to learn,” said Bache. “She is a warm, compassionate teacher who infuses humor and music into her classroom. This helps the students feel comfortable and safe in their surroundings. Eileen continues to learn through professional development and implement new techniques that will help her students meet with success.” (continued on page 15) Midland Park Recreation encourages residents to register early for Olympic Day. Set for Saturday, June 9, the event will be held at the Midland Park High School track. The event is open to children ages five through 12 who are Midland Park residents or attend a Midland Park school. Events will include a long jump, shot put, one lap run for children ages 9-12, 40-yard dash, and obstacle course. Register early for Olympic Day The last event of the day will be the family relay. Registration forms are available online at www.mpnj. com. Participants who pre-register should check in at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the event. Non-registered children must register at 8 a.m. at the track. The meet will begin at 9 a.m. High school students interested in volunteering at Olympic Day may call (201) 652-2747.