WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Board of Education passed a nonbinding resolution on April 19 in support of a traffic light at the intersection of Alisa Drive and Pleasant Valley Way, which abuts West Orange High School. The resolution was then presented to the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
“The Board of Education is pleased to announce that after several years of advocacy, including many meetings with the West Orange Pedestrian Safety Advisory Board and Essex County elected officials and a recent site visit with Essex County Freeholder Leonard M. Luciano, board member Laura Lab, Superintendent Jeff Rutzky and Principal Hayden Moore, we will have a traffic light at Alisa Drive,” the Board of Education said in a joint statement. “Alisa Drive and Pleasant Valley Way is the sole access for literally hundreds of students and residents daily and for years the Board of Education and community members have been advocating for a safer intersection, particularly for the new student drivers attempting to exit the high school campus.”
Rutzky was quite pleased with the resolution as well.
“I am thrilled that we will have a traffic light at Alisa Drive and Pleasant Valley Way,” Rutzky said in the release. “This is a very dangerous area and the traffic light will provide greater safety for our students, staff, parents and visitors. I am so appreciative to those who helped make this happen.”
For their support, the Board of Education thanks Roz Moskowitz Bielski for her passion and persistence in organizing the Pleasant Valley Civic Association and other community members to advocate for Pleasantdale and townwide pedestrian safety, as well as township engineer Leonard Lepore, who presented a resolution on this matter to the Township Council. On May 23, the council unanimously passed its resolution. Both Resolutions in support of a traffic light from the Board of Education and township were then presented to the Essex County Freeholders for their review, approval and execution.
West Orange Board President Sandra Mordecai, Councilwoman Michelle Casalino and Lab attended the Essex County Freeholder meeting in Orange on May 24 to publicly thank the Freeholder Board and Luciano in particular for making an on-site visit to Alisa Drive.
The light is expected to be installed this fall or early 2018, according to county engineer and county public works director Sanjeev Varghese, a West Orange resident.
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