SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Several badly deteriorated roads in the North Newstead section of South Orange are in the process of being upgraded, much to the pleasure of area residents, who worked diligently to bring the streets’ poor condition to the village’s attention.
Village Administrator Barry Lewis Jr. told the News-Record that Mountain, Crestwood, Northwoods and Great Hills drives will have their surfaces milled and paved, their storm and sanitary sewer drains replaced as needed and their deteriorated curbs removed and replaced with Belgian block curbing over the course of the summer. The project began June 22 and is expected to be completed by early September, Lewis said.
According to Lewis, the project will cost approximately $1.1 million and will be paid for by the village’s bond-funded capital improvement program. Lewis said the village is undertaking this project due to the dire condition of the streets.
“The village prioritizes road repairs based on the condition,” Lewis said in a July 10 email. “These roads were among the most deteriorated in the entire village.”
Beth Haiet Meyer knows well just how bad the roads were. As a resident of Mountain Drive, she has firsthand knowledge of what she called their “horrific” condition, pointing out the streets’ numerous potholes and severely damaged surfaces. She added that loose stones and gravel made the roads potentially dangerous for the area’s walkers and bicyclists. The situation was so bad, she even recalled watching one neighbor sweeping stones out of the intersection between Glenview and Longview roads.
That is why, upon joining the Newstead Neighborhood Association Board of Trustees five years ago, Haiet Meyer said she has made street repair her top priority. In fact, she formed the ReNewstead Committee to focus specifically on making the streets safer and more beautiful while raising awareness of residents’ issues. While the committee did accomplish much — including the removal of dangling limbs and fallen branches, and helping the village obtain a $200,000 grant to improve Glenview Road — the improvement of the North Newstead streets remained a dream unrealized for a long time. She said it means a lot to her now that the village finally took notice.
“I’m so moved,” Haiet Meyer told the News-Record in a July 9 phone interview. “I can’t believe it’s being done. It has been my baby for almost five years.”
But it took a lot of work to make it happen. Haiet Meyer explained that she spent much time communicating in-person and by email with the South Orange Board of Trustees and the Department of Public Works to make her concerns known. She said she also organized and mobilized her neighbors to do the same.
Haiet Meyer said the project really took off after she informed Village President Sheena Collum about the road problems back when Collum was running for the top village position. Collum then referred Haiet Meyer to Trustee Walter Clarke, chairman of the Public Works Committee, which judged the streets in need of repair.
In the end, Haiet Meyer said her situation serves as a fine example of what can happen when the community and local government work together for the good of all. She stressed that any resident can bring about change, as long as they have a credible cause and follow the proper procedural methods.
“It speaks to the power of citizens working with government in the way that government respects and recognizes,” Haiet Meyer said. “Through committee and association, the people really can have a voice and make a difference.”
Clarke lauded Haiet Meyer for her efforts but pointed out that he did not do anything out of the ordinary to initiate the project. He said the village does not operate on a “who you know” system — rather, the village professionals use their expertise to decide where tax dollars can be spent most effectively.
Still, Clarke said it is important that residents inform village officials of any issue they feel needs attention — just as Haiet Meyer and her neighbors did. Whether it is using the free SOConnect app to report problems or communicating directly, the trustee said residents should know that the village is always eager to hear what residents have to say.
“Public input is very helpful in a variety of village safety and maintenance situations,” Clarke told the News-Record in a July 10 email. “The more eyes and ears alert to emergent situations, the better. Everyone on the Board of Trustees and in village government wants to be as responsive as possible, but there is no substitute for an engaged population at the start.”