SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange Village announced last week that it has been awarded a $1 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation for its ongoing River Greenway project. According to the village, this is likely the largest single grant ever received by South Orange.
The grant, awarded under the NJDOT FY 2014 Transportation Alternatives Program, will fund the construction of approximately 3,600 linear feet of pedestrian path and bikeway, connecting the southern border of the village at Chyzowych Field in Maplewood to Third Street near the South Orange train station in the village center, according to a release from South Orange.
In addition to South Orange’s grant, Essex County received a grant for $850,000 for Irvington Avenue streetscape improvements in Maplewood, Newark and South Orange.
According to a letter from NJDOT Commissioner Jamie Fox, the department received 146 applications seeking funding totaling $97 million. With only $15.5 million available to award, the grant application process was highly competitive.
South Orange’s project was among the 28 awarded funding, and the village’s $1 million award was the largest among the projects.
In a release to the News-Record, village Administrator Barry Lewis, who prepared the application with Deputy Administrator Adam Loehner, credited the following people for their input on the application: village engineer Sal Renda, deputy engineer Ed Gulyas, the members of the village’s River Greenway Committee, village President Alex Torpey and the village’s trustees. Lewis singled out former trustee Janine Bauer for her work in putting together a compelling and ultimately successful grant application.
“The village is extremely excited and grateful for this generous funding award, which will allow the village to take another leap forward in completing this project,” Trustee Walter Clarke, who serves as trustee liaison to the River Greenway Committee and the Environmental Commission, said in the release. “By linking the north and south sections of South Orange, the River Greenway offers residents both an eco-friendly transportation alternative and a recreational experience in some of our most unique natural resources.”
Lewis also thanked U.S. Sen. Corey Booker, Congressman Donald Payne Jr., state Sen. Richard Codey, Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, Assemblyman John McKeon and the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
“This incredible grant award was truly the result of a broad coalition, at every level of government, which collectively saw the great value to the community of this project,” Torpey said in the release. “The River Greenway is a vital piece of our overall plan to make South Orange a walkable, sustainable, vibrant and thriving community.”
This portion of the River Greenway project will, in part, replace an existing unlit path through a wooded section of village land with a new 10-foot-wide asphalt pathway, complete with lighting, benches, trash and recycling receptacles, bike racks, landscaping and signage.