Wayne Magazine Back to School 2020 | Page 8

buzzworthy Pequannock, Wayne RIDING THE (FORMER) RAILS The proposed 4.8-mile PEQUANNOCK-TO-WAYNE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PATH moved closer to becoming a reality this summer when the Morris County Board of Freeholders, in a unanimous vote, authorized county purchasing officials to move ahead on the bidding process for its construction. The bid process will begin once funding is authorized by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Formal bidding and construction are expected to take place in 2021. The county is purchasing the abandoned rail right-of-way for creation of the long-planned recreation, hiking and biking trail. The federal government is financing the $20 million project. The new trail would run from River Drive in Pequannock, near Route 23, connect to the township’s Aquatic Park, and extend to Wayne at Mt. View Boulevard, near the NJ Transit Mountain View rail station. It eventually will tie into Passaic County’s Morris Canal Greenway. The asphalt trail would be the first of its kind in the Route 23 corridor region of Morris and Passaic counties, and has special appeal because it connects with mass transit. In addition to walkers, hikers and joggers, the plan is for it to be open to cyclists, strollers, and skaters, but not to motorized vehicles such as dirt bikes. Pequannock officials hope to post kiosks along the trail and throughout town, pointing bikers to downtown shopping and historic sites. • For more information, go to morriscountynj.gov. Wayne PHOTOGRAPHER SNAPS FREE HEADSHOTS AT WILLOWBROOK On July 22, photographer CHRIS HIETIKKO joined 199 of his colleagues nationwide in giving unemployed Americans something to help them reenter the job market: new headshots. His efforts were part of an initiative by the Headshot Booker agency, in partnership with Brookfield Properties, to give away 10,000 head shots in a single day. Hietikko took his photos during 50 pre-booked sessions at a pop-up studio at Willowbrook Mall; the images were provided instantly through event photo sharing platform SpotMyPhotos. Hietikko notes that on LinkedIn, people who include headshots in their job applications receive 21 times more profile views and nine times more “connection requests” than those who don’t. According to photoillustrator.com, a professional headshot can cost anywhere from $75 to $1,000. Wayne WAYNE SHOPPING CENTER,ANCHORED BY TRADER JOE’S, MAYOPEN IN FALL THE PARKE AT HAMBURG, a new shopping center with seven tenants, will be fully occupied and open to the public in mid-October, according to its contractor. The 7-acre plaza will be anchored by a Trader Joe’s. There will be three buildings: The main structure with the grocery store will also house tenants The Habit Burger Grill, The Paper Store and Ulta Beauty; Everbrook Academy will open a freestanding day care facility and preschool; and the third building will feature Sport Clips and Panera Bread. The shopping center lies on previously vacant land at 910 Hamburg Turnpike, about two-tenths of a mile west of the Valley Road intersection. PATH: COURTESY OFMORRIS COUNTY; HEADSHOTS: COURTESY OFCHRIS HIETIKKO PHOTOGRAPHY; SHOPPING CENTER: TARIQ ZEHAWI AND DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN 6 BACK TOSCHOOL 2020 WAYNE MAGAZINE