Hello and thank you for your support!

One year ago, after consulting with a professional engineer, we contacted the Bergen County Road Department and alerted them of a major water issue due to a lack of sidewalk and curb along West Crescent Avenue along the back our property line at 320 Park Avenue in Allendale. (Mind you there is a curb and or sidewalk along the REST of West Crescent avenue where there are homes, but stops in front of our home.)

The water issue stems from the county raising the grade of the road so high over our property that it forces tons of rushing water onto our land and buildings when it rains. This has eroded our property and our 150 year old barn. The water issue CAN be controlled by installing a sidewalk and curb to protect the water from rushing our property and redirecting it to a sewer, about 200 yards up the road.

In addition to the damage on our property, we have seen countless mothers with baby strollers, joggers, dog walkers, children heading to town and other pedestrians walking along this road unprotected by a curb or sidewalk from cars and trucks, especially in harsh elements. At this point a our property line, where the road curves, cars and trucks tend to take a wide turn and drive along the worn away path that used to be our sidewalk before the damage from the county road water. The county keeps paving over their road but refuses to fix our sidewalk pathway to the front of our home.

The Bergen County Road Department, including workers: Tom Connolly, Joseph Femia, Christos Kavvadas and Barry Costanza, have been contacted and have ignored us for one year. They agree that there is an issue but state they have to "meet" to discuss the issue and then never respond to our calls, letters or emails. In fact, last winter to quiet us, Christos Kavvadas told us that Bergen County "does not pour concrete during the winter." Yet just over the summer Tom Connolly told us that Bergen County "has not poured concrete in years." So which is it? Clearly these people are giving us the run around.

Over the summer, after a year of contacting them, BCRD reached out to us proposing a non-permanent solution that they will fix the asphalt berm and make it slightly higher (which has been in tatters from their own country plow trucks plowing the road during the winter and cracking the berm.) They also want to fill in the eroded pathway to our front door. This solution is not reasonable to us because we use that pathway to get in and out of our home and pedestrians use it to walk along the street.

Please help give our community a voice by signing our petition for a curb and sidewalk in front of the Cagney residence on West Crescent Avenue. Perhaps they will not respond to a small family but will respond to many of us.

Thank you!!