By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Driving through the borough right now almost makes it feel as if all of Haddonfield, or at least all of its roadways, are under construction.
While the three major capital construction projects are near completion and are all duly needed in the borough, residents and business owners shared their conflicting thoughts about the dusty process.
Tanner Street is the most visible project at this point, with the commuter street blocked off from traffic Monday to Friday from the morning until night. Construction began in the fall and is scheduled to be completed in about two weeks, according to the borough. It’s been a loud, dirty affair, said Ghislaine Bossard, owner of Angel Bridal of Haddonfield, and has definitely affected business negatively.
Customers either don’t think the businesses are open on Tanner Street, she said, or don’t want to walk down the ripped up street to get to her shop. Sales have declined steadily since the start of the construction, Bossard said.
But, she doesn’t fault the borough or the workers for the project. The construction firm is very agreeable to her requests and has gone out of its way to accommodate her customers, Bossard said.
The delays though haven’t been good, with the borough originally predicting the project would be finished barring weather delays by Thanksgiving, then the start of the holiday season, and now a few more weeks, Bossard said.
Mark Rooks, owner and head chef of Rent-A-Chef, had no complaints about the construction and actually said it has increased his business.
The construction workers typically frequent his eatery for lunch, he said, and couldn’t be nicer.
Across the borough residents on Woodland are living through a complete road reconstruction project.
The road was scheduled for reconstruction but included a construction aspect that several residents have disagreed with. Some residents raised their voices when it was announced that three trees were to be removed on the street for the installation of a sidewalk.
Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough said at the announcement of the project in August, that the commissioners decided to install the sidewalks for safety reasons.
“The removal of the trees is heartbreaking. It’s horrible to see healthy trees removed, and I truly hope that people are really going to walk on that sidewalk,” said Natalie Reenock, a resident of the block. “There’s never been a lot of foot traffic on our block and there doesn’t seem to be much of a need for a sidewalk, but I guess you can’t argue with city hall.”
The tree removal has hurt Reenock’s curb appeal, she said. All of the trees removed for the project were located in front of her home.
Robert Grossman, a neighbor of Reenock’s, said it’s been a noisy affair, and he didn’t’ agree with the removal of the trees.
But, he said, most of the construction crews have been respectful. Mayor Tish Colombi has been out to view the project and Charles Chelloti of Remington and Vernick has been very receptive to complaints about the project throughout the entire process, Grossman said.
“They’ve all been very responsible and respectful of our situation,” Grossman said.
Water main work on Woodland has been completed, with the only remaining work left on the storm sewer from Estaugh to Linden, the borough reported.
The Centre Street project was completed about two weeks ago and was on schedule.
According to the borough, in addition to the two blocks included in the contract, an additional block near the Wedgewood Swim Club was also repaired.
