Dear Fellow Resident,

As Edgewater enters its 115th year of incorporation and I begin my seventh year as Mayor, I would like to thank you for your support and bring you up to date on what the Council and I have accomplished.

Work on the new Municipal Complex is moving ahead and we expect completion sometime in mid 2010.  The building will be LEED certified, which means it is being constructed in an environmentally sensitive and energy efficient manner.  For the first time in 104 years, Edgewater will have a new state-of-the-art municipal complex that will be home to our Government offices and Police Department.

It is hard to believe that 3 years have gone by since the Edgewater Marina, Park, and Ferry Landing was opened in March of 2007.  I am delighted to say that after a 50-year absence of ferry service on the Hudson River, I played a part in providing a reasonably priced, alternative means of reliable transportation to our residents, making transportation easier.

The Bergen County Utilities Authority acquisition of our sewage treatment plant has been an enormous success.  Edgewater is no longer burdened by the environmental and financial responsibility of operating and maintaining the plant.  This was a sound business decision as well as heeding the call of regionalizing and making government more efficient.  One of the business benefits to this decision was our ability to have our credit rating improved from an A-3 to A-1; a major accomplishment for any municipality in New Jersey.  

As a result, I can confidently report that Edgewater is in the best financial condition it has been in a very long time, a far cry from when we were a bankrupt industrial town.  We recently refinanced our outstanding bonds and notes from capital projects (money we borrow) in order to acquire a lower interest rate.  We expect our budget to remain stable while the governing body and I continue to exercise fiscal prudence.  As Governor Chris Christie has forewarned communities’ statewide of impending reductions in state aid, I assure you that your Governing Body, along with our competent department managers, are prepared to address any budget constraints. In terms of budget changes, 2010 will be the first calendar year budget the council and I will prepare in almost two decades, changing from the confusing fiscal budget cycle of July through June.

The Borough has completed numerous capital improvement projects such as the north end sewer separation project that resulted in a separated storm and sanitary sewer system.  To complete this project, we repaired and replaced curbs, sidewalks, and paved the affected streets. Road paving and improvements were completed on Massa Lane, Burdette Court, Leary Lane, Hooks Lane, Maple Street, Arlington Terrace, Palisade Terrace, North Street, Garden Place, Hudson Terrace, and sections of Undercliff Avenue.  All of these projects were completed with the assistance of millions of dollars in low interest loans through State Programs or State and County Grants.

In the last year and a half, Edgewater has received over $2 million in County, State and Federal grants for the improvement of everything from road repair, Veteran’s Field, and Borough Hall, which has been placed on the New Jersey and Federal registry of historic places.  This designation will guarantee the preservation of our past as a former industrial giant contributing to our nation, as well as the world’s economy.

Recognizing our development into a suburban residential community, residents such as those who volunteer their time on our Shade Tree Committee work to ensure our natural resources such as our trees are not only preserved, but that we educate our children and residents and encourage them to plant as many new trees as possible.  I publicly thank all of our volunteers who work with the council and me to improve our community.

Edgewater has truly become part of the historic gold coast with great restaurants, shopping for all styles and budgets, conveniences such as our post office with ample parking, our crown jewel of Veteran’s Field, not to mention our scenic and majestic Hudson River Walkway.  As we bring to a close the 400th anniversary of the Hudson River, I am pleased to report that Edgewater and the County of Bergen are working together in an attempt to improve the walkway and make it better than what it already is.

In closing I want to express my sincere thank you to the Council, all Borough employees, our volunteer emergency services, as well as all board volunteers for their teamwork in making Edgewater the outstanding community it has become.  

On behalf of the Edgewater Governing Body, please accept our best wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year.
                                                     
Sincerely yours,
Nancy Merse
Mayor