West Windsor council agrees to back Green Acres grant application for Moses Tatami Trail

Friends of West Windsor Open Space presented a plan to build the Moses Tatami Trail and won township approval to apply for a Green Acres grant and for the township to provide up to a 50% match if the grant is awarded. The trail would run roughly a mile from Pen Lisle Road to the Duck Pond Run pump station along an existing sewer corridor and would include crushed-stone surfacing, an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant replacement of a small bridge over Duck Pond Run, and short boardwalk sections where the ground is wet.

The presentation was delivered by Michael Schuit, acting president of Friends of West Windsor Open Space, who described the route and said the corridor largely runs over township-owned land and an existing sewer line. "The trail is gonna be between Pen Lisle Road and the Duck Pond Run pump house... in total, the trail is be close to a mile in length," Schuit said during the January 27 council meeting. Jerry Foster of the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance and other volunteers provided cost estimates and noted the project aligns with the township master plan and regional trail plans.

The mayor told council the open-space tax would be the source of the township match if required and said the chief financial officer certified that matching funds are available for the amount specified in the resolution. The mayor also said staff and project supporters plan additional public outreach and that engineering and permitting work would follow a successful grant award.

Council members and residents raised safety, scope and process questions. Several speakers who live near the Jacob Drive extension said that segment is narrow and expressed concern about trail access, parking, and crossings on North Post Road. Resident Diane Hasling urged more time for community review and asked whether matching obligations or required construction would lock the township into the current concept. Michael Schuit and Jerry Foster said the application is a concept plan necessary to request funding; they said detailed engineering, a municipal bidding process and state permits would follow if funding is awarded. "We're not constructing the project," Schuit said. "What Phoebus is doing is preparing the application to submit to Green Acres." (The presenters identified the Friends of West Windsor Open Space as the applicant.)

On the technical side, presenters said the pedestrian surface would be a fine crushed stone about 10 feet wide in the sewer corridor; crossings at Pen Lisle and North Post would include ADA ramps and flashing beacons; and a short replacement bridge over Duck Pond Run would be built to meet ADA standards. The plan also includes a short boardwalk where the path crosses particularly wet ground.

The application includes a stewardship and maintenance plan that Friends of West Windsor Open Space said would handle routine trail maintenance under its existing volunteer program; Friends representatives said they coordinate litter removal and light maintenance on township trails and plan to continue that role. The presenters also said they had met preliminary with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection about permitting needs for the small bridge, but said formal permitting will be part of later steps.

After discussion and public comment, council approved the consent resolution consenting to the Friends' submission of a Green Acres application for the project known in the application as the Tatami Swamp (Moses Tatami) Trail. The resolution also records the township's willingness to provide up to a 50% match of project cost from the open-space fund if the grant is awarded. The CFO's certification that funds were available for the matching amount was included with the resolution.

Council members emphasized the application is only the next step. Additional design work, municipal review, permitting and a public engagement process will take place before any construction contract is awarded.

Residents and town groups spoke in support of the trail for recreation, nature access and historical interpretation; others asked for more time for neighbors and staff review before committing to construction details. The council vote approved the application step and local financial commitment to the match as presented in the resolution.