By Sophia Gonzalez
Staff Writer
Posted Feb. 21, 1:48 p.m.

NORTHVALE — Borough Engineer Lou Raimondi received a green light from the Borough Council to move forward with the streetscape project.

"It’s going to be a 100 percent improvement to our town," Democratic Mayor John Hogan said.

The Council voted Feb. 13 to spend up to $25,000 on the downtown improvements, what Raimondi calls an effort "to piggy-back on the county’s construction project of the Livingston Street and Paris Avenue intersection."

To bolster the downtown look, the streetscape plan consists of new brick pavers, decorative streetlights, sidewalks and landscaping to the commercial stretch along Livingston Street.

Initially, the Borough Council had approved to pay engineering firm Maser Consulting $10,000 out of a $19,000 total spent on the streetscape work.

"I was authorized to prepare the plans, but then I stopped because I didn’t get [further approval]," the borough engineer told the Borough.

"We are sort of dragging our feet because of [it]," he added.

The Borough then cast the favorable vote once Raimondi said that the town would pay $250,000 if it completed the streetscape independently.

E-mail: gonzalezso@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6711