The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A controversial plan to build a small park on Willow Avenue, near New Brunswick Road, appears to be dead, according to a comment made by a Township Councilwoman.
Councilwoman Kimberly Francois (D-At Large) made the announcement in the midst of a conversation on another topic during the township Redevelopment Agency’s regular meeting on January 25.
The so-called “Grandparent’s Park” elicited much opposition during a public hearing on January 12. The Council was expected to make a decision on the plan in February.
A conversation during the Redevelopment Agency meeting on including open space in a redevelopment project veered into a discussion about the Council listening to the public’s opinion on certain projects. The Grandparent’s Park hearing was used as an example of that by Councilman Carl Wright (D-Ward 4), also a Commissioner on the Redevelopment Agency.
Wright pointed out that Francois said the Council needed to take the public’s opposition into account when making a final decision on the park.
Francois agreed, and then said of the park, “I believe that we have decided that we are not going forward on that.”
Mayor Phil Kramer said he would not have a comment on the proposed park until the Council’s January 26 meeting.
The proposed park is the brainchild of Township Councilman Will Galtieri (D-Ward 2), who first broached the idea more than a year ago.
The park would feature amenities such as a play area, trails, and a dog watering station, and a looped trail around teh approximate one-acre property.
The park’s cost was estimated at $550,000, which would come from the township’s Open Space Trust Fund.
