Forest Avenue sidewalk shelved after police safety concerns; borough to pursue drainage study with county

The Emerson governing body agreed Dec. 17 to shelve plans for a sidewalk on Forest Avenue following safety concerns raised by the borough’s police chief and municipal staff.

Mayor (speaker 1) opened the discussion by noting an email from the police chief and asking staff for an update. Dave (speaker 6), who spoke at length about site conditions, explained the corridor’s combination of high traffic volume, limited lighting and a drainage ditch that constrains where sidewalks and guardrails can be placed. He cautioned that placing a guardrail on the street side of a sidewalk can create a false sense of security and in past incidents had caused harm when vehicles struck a rail.

"It's not customary because quite honestly, what it would do is give you a false sense of security," Dave said, describing past incidents and the trade-offs in guardrail placement. After discussion, the mayor proposed shelving the sidewalk idea "by suggestion of the police chief," and the council accepted that approach.

Council members redirected attention to drainage issues in the Jordan and Forest Avenue area, where Rob Hermanson said the borough has a grant and will meet with county engineers to coordinate work. Dave told the council an engineering study will be needed to gather site data and model storm events; he estimated the study at roughly $75,000–$100,000.

Council members agreed to postpone any sidewalk ordinance or design decisions until the drainage study and county coordination occur. Rob said the borough will pursue a meeting with county engineering and bring a proposed study scope and funding plan back to the council for approval.

The action leaves the sidewalk proposal inactive for now; the council instructed staff to work with county engineers and prepare study documents before resuming design or procurement.