Bringing the farm to Jamesburg

Jamesburg is considering whether to hold weekly farmer’s markets downtown — on West Railroad Avenue between Church and Harrison streets on Saturdays from July through October — similar to those held in West Windsor at the Princeton Junction Train Station or in Metuchen.

On first blush, this is a good idea. Farm markets become like mini-flea markets, drawing shoppers into town and creating the kind of foot traffic that small towns like Jamesburg need to remain viable.

Police Chief Martin Horvath has concerns, but I just don’t see them as being that big a deal. Chief Horvath, in a letter to Councilman Otto Kostbar, said

he is concerned about safety issues related to shutting down the road without proper police coverage; a staff of market volunteers who pose a liability to the borough because they would not be properly trained in traffic safety; the cost of overtime needed to pay for police; and the collection and cleanup of garbage along the road. He also said residents of four homes would not have access to their houses during the market, which is slated to run from 7 am. to 2 p.m.

”West Railroad Avenue may seem like a lightly traveled roadway, but to the contrary, it is quite a heavily traveled road, especially on a Saturday during the summer,” Chief Horvath stated in the letter. “This roadway acts as a secondary route through town for many motorists, pedestrians and emergency vehicles. Closing down this stretch of roadway will certainly (affect) traffic flow through the borough.”

The letter also said that closing a roadway without police presence is “not permissible” and that that the expense of providing officers at the market would cost the department around $14,400 in overtime, which is “not acceptable in these times of tight budgets.”

These should be easy to deal with. As Councilman John Longo said,

“Let’s find a way to get it done as opposed to finding a way to not get it done,” said Mr. Longo. “We’re trying to bring people into town. Money is leaving Jamesburg that’s in Jamesburg because people are leaving to go to Monroe and East Brunswick and other places to do their shopping.”

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet