August 28, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 11 Midland Park Sidewalk replacement program eyed to improve safety Midland Park borough officials plan to begin imple- menting a formal sidewalk replacement program next spring to improve safety conditions for school children and others who use the public right of way. Sidewalk upgrades and maintenance are the responsibility of the homeowner. Borough Administrator/Clerk Addie Hanna said the plan is to identify potential hazards, and then notify the homeowner the work must be done by a certain time. She said the borough would waive the required construction fee, but would have no other involvement in the project. Hanna said she and Rudy Gnehm, the department of public works superintendent, would be going out in early spring to inspect the sidewalks within a targeted voting district, moving on to the other districts in sequence each year. She said that, about 10 years ago, the program was slated to be carried out by the zoning officer, but was never implemented. Godwin Avenue resident Irene O’Marra commented at a recent council meeting that sidewalk quality should be uniform throughout the borough. Hanna said when residents apply for sidewalk permits, they are given borough-approved specifications their con- tractors must follow for putting in the walks. On the advice of the borough attorney, the municipality does not recom- mend contractors, she said. Scott Meyer of Erie Avenue asked whether the town had a policy of installing sidewalks where they are lacking. He said cars travel at 40 or 45 miles per hour on Erie and the sidewalk there is not continuous, with about four houses lacking a sidewalk. He said children on the way to school Gaccione to join staff at high school The Midland Park Board of Education has approved the appointment of Michael Gaccione as assistant princi- pal/athletic director for the seventh and eighth grade stu- dents at the middle school/high school. Gaccione, who was appointed at last week’s board meeting, will receive a salary of $88,000, prorated effective Oct. 21, 2013, or sooner, through June 30, 2014. “The position of assistant principal/athletic director must serve students in terms of both academics and ath- letics,” Midland Park Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marie Cirasella said. “Mr. Gaccione brings a strong background to his new administrative position in Midland Park, having served as a teacher of high school mathematics for the past eight years and a coach at the varsity level. He is trained the in Danielson teacher evaluation system, has presented workshops on team teaching in an inclusive classroom, and completed his administrative internship with excel- lent evaluations. We are pleased to welcome him to the administrative team in Midland Park and look forward to a smooth transition.” Gaccione replaces Peter Galasso, who assumed the combined position of athletic director/assistant principal at Midland Park High School last summer. Galasso was primarily the head of the athletic pro- gram, with some responsibility as the seventh and eighth grade assistant principal. In July of this year, Galasso was appointed assistant principal for grades 9-12. Prior to joining the staff at Midland Park High, Galasso was a social studies teacher at New Milford High School for nine years. He also coached football and baseball and was the head wrestling coach. He was named teacher of the year for that district in 2011. Galasso played football while an undergraduate at Sienna College in Albany, and received his master’s in administra- tion from Saint Thomas Aquinas College in New York. must walk on the street. “There should be a town effort to have sidewalks,” he said. “They improve the town’s aesthetics as well as pro- vide safety.” Mayor Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan said sidewalk installa- tion is not an issue the governing body can force, since not all residents want sidewalks in front of their homes. “Some people prefer the rustic look of not so much side- walk in a suburban neighborhood,” O’Hagan observed. Others, he said, are not eager to maintain a sidewalk in front of their house nor to pay the additional taxes asso- ciated with having a sidewalk, which is considered an improvement for tax purposes. O’Marra also asked that residents be reminded to trim their bushes and trees so as not to interfere with pedestrian traffic. Hanna said press releases and an e-blast would be sent out advising residents of this responsibility. Reaching residents last week, the e-blast said: “Please take note of your shrubbery that is located along the property line next to a sidewalk or the edge of the road. Please make sure you trim the vegetation so the sidewalk/roadway is easily pass- able by pedestrians and cars. This is an important safety condition that must be addressed by all property owners.”