City staff provided a progress update on several public-works projects at the Sept. 9 Hackensack City Council meeting and the council approved multiple contract awards for road work and park engineering.

Why it matters: The contracts and grants shape near-term construction schedules, determine which streets will be resurfaced and fund pedestrian-safety upgrades near schools.

City staff (identified in the meeting as Ryan) summarized active projects: punch-list work on Anderson Street; site-utility work at Johnson Park; demolition and soil movement beginning at Foschini Park with air monitoring during soil movement; ongoing submittal reviews for the Canyon pump station; and concrete repairs at Firehouse Engine 2. Ryan said Johnson Park utility work will resume later in the month and that Foschini Park demolition began during the meeting week with soil movement set to start toward the end of that week.

The council was told the city received a NJDOT local aid grant for Grand Avenue pedestrian-safety improvements in the amount of $176,772. "This work includes intersection improvements at Grand And Poplar and Grand And Fairmount," Ryan said, and listed planned elements: milling and paving of the intersections, curb bump-outs, ADA ramps with detectable warnings, thermoplastic striping, and flashing pedestrian crossing signs. Staff said the work will be bid and coordinated to avoid disrupting school sessions next summer.

Ryan also reported that NJ Transit has proposed two bus stops on Spring Valley Avenue — near Summit and near the intersection of Krone — and that if the city approves them the change would be enacted by ordinance and likely appear on a future meeting agenda.

Council action: On the consent agenda the council approved three bid awards for 2025 road improvement projects (city-funded and partially NJDOT- or CDBG-funded) to New Prince Concrete Construction (resolutions 396–398). The council also approved an award for Baldwin Park ADA sidewalk improvements (resolution 395) and approved contract awards to Boswell Engineering for construction-phase and environmental (LSRP) services for Foschini Park and Johnson Park, as well as a Johnson Park conceptual master plan (resolutions 403–407).

Consultant comment: Kevin Boswell of Boswell Engineering told the council the firm will deliver conceptual master-plan options for Johnson Park within about "the next 10 days" and said changes in NJDEP stormwater and flood-hazard regulations will factor into permitting.

Timing and next steps: Staff said one short-duration contract referenced in the meeting likely spans about 60 days; other projects showed completion timelines into next spring. The Grand Avenue improvements will go to bid and, if awarded, be scheduled to minimize impact on nearby Fairmount School.