Safety Concerns Emerge As Cranford Library Reopening Approaches

CRANFORD, NJ — Cranford Public Library is preparing to reopen its newly renovated Children's Room later this month, but even as staff get ready to welcome families back, some residents are asking township officials to take another look at the project's redesigned parking lot.

The Children's Room is scheduled to reopen July 22 with a dinosaur-themed celebration tied to the library's summer reading program. Before that happens, however, residents and township officials are continuing to discuss whether the new layout provides a safe path for pedestrians, particularly children walking to and from the building.

During the Township Committee's July 7 meeting, resident Rita Lobruto said a sidewalk that previously wrapped around the library is no longer part of the design, leaving people to walk through areas used by vehicles.

"The newly designed library parking lot doesn't have a sidewalk anymore," Lobruto said. "You have to walk between the handicap parking spots, and the new driveway is basically like a drop-off point. If you were even going to pick up a child, say a 10-year-old or 12-year-old, and tell him to wait there, he'd be waiting in a drop-off traffic lane. There is no sidewalk for him to stand on. So I think this is a little dangerous from a pedestrian safety standpoint."

Lobruto also questioned whether exposed gas meters near the parking area should be protected with bollards — sturdy steel posts designed to shield structures and equipment from being struck by vehicles.

Commissioner Brian Andrews said he believes the library property still offers safe pedestrian access and suggested there may be a misunderstanding about the layout.

"I think we might be talking past each other a little bit," Andrews said. "There are two sidewalks there, very clearly. You have the sidewalk in front of the library that leads to the ramp, and then you've got the sidewalk along Walnut Avenue."

He said the parking lot was redesigned to accommodate the library's expanded footprint while preserving parking spaces at what he described as a heavily used facility.

Even so, Andrews said he plans to meet with Lobruto at the site to review her concerns firsthand.

He also said he supports installing bollards if they're warranted.

"We added bollards to the back of the library and the community center a few years ago after a number of cars kind of careened through the fence," Andrews said. "So I'm pro-bollard. If it makes sense to put them there, I would certainly support it."

Lobruto also questioned whether the renovation required construction permits, saying public records requests indicated the work had been classified as repair and maintenance. Township officials responded that the township's construction official was involved throughout the project and advised on the work as it moved forward.

As a possible short-term solution, Lobruto suggested painting a clearly marked pedestrian walkway through the parking lot to help guide visitors safely between the building and parking area.

Andrews said he would look into the suggestion.

The discussion comes as library staff work to move thousands of books back into the renovated Children's Room ahead of its July 22 reopening, when families will be invited back for the dinosaur-themed celebration marking the completion of the project.