April 30, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Franklin Lakes New traffic circle plan being reviewed by council by Frank J. McMahon The changes to the traffic circle at the intersection of Franklin Lake and High Mountain roads have been delayed while Franklin Lakes and Bergen County officials review a new plan for the circle where the Urban Farms Shopping Center is located. At a recent Franklin Lakes Council meeting, Borough Engineer Kevin Boswell advised the governing body about a meeting between borough and county officials at which the borough’s concerns about the changes the county planned for the circle were conveyed. Boswell told the council the county was informed that the borough is not in favor of a phased-in approach to the changes to the circle as planned by the county. Those changes include the elimi- nation of the stop signs on both sides of High Mountain Road and the addition of yield signs on all four entrances to the circle to notify motorists that they should yield to any traffic that is already in the circle. Changes also include striped triangular areas at all four entrances to the circle squeezing traffic to the right with triangular yield road markings at each entrance to the circle. Boswell said the county officials agreed to delay the changes, and the county plan was merged with a new plan for the circle that has been forwarded to the council. That plan has not been released to the public because it is a draft that is considered to be deliberative material. Boswell said the county is in favor of this effort being a joint project between the borough and the county, although the county will pay the cost of the changes to the circle. He said the goal is to implement changes to the circle in May or June to make the traffic circle safer. “It’s a much better direction than the phased-in approach, so we’re in a much better state than we were a couple of weeks ago,” Boswell said. The new plan has been sent to the borough’s police chief, the current police department traffic officer, and the former traffic officer for their review. The plans to change the access to the traffic circle for safety reasons were announced in October 2013. The borough asked the county to make those changes after they were described by Boswell at the borough coun- cil work session on Oct. 1, 2013. The recommended changes to the traffic circle were also based on the online survey of residents the borough conducted in August 2013 on the question of whether the borough should consider removing the circle and install- ing a traffic light at the intersection for safety reasons. Over 800 responses were received, according to Borough Administrator Gregory Hart, with 60 percent of them in favor of keeping the circle and 40 percent in favor of its removal. The idea of changing the way traffic enters and leaves the circle from the two roads became more apparent to borough and county officials when they met at the circle during the morning and afternoon peak traffic times when the traffic to and from the High Mountain Road and the Most Blessed Sacrament elementary schools was at its peak. (continued on page 19) Chiefs hold seminar on heroin epidemic The police chiefs of Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, and Oak- land will hosting a seminar on how the use of prescrip- tion painkillers can lead to heroin abuse and addiction, an increasing problem for law enforcement officers in north- west Bergen County. The seminar will take place May 7 at Ramapo High School, 331 George Street in Franklin Lakes, at 7 p.m. and will feature information from a professional narcotics offi- cer, Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox, Franklin Lakes Police Chief Joseph Seltenrich, and Oakland Police Chief Edward Kasper. Parents will hear how pain-killing prescription drugs are quickly addictive, and why those who are addicted end up using heroin. Addictions know no boundaries. In recent months, heroin has figured in a number of reported arrests. Local police departments report that their officers are making heroin and prescription narcotics arrests in numbers that have never before encountered.