TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Residents speaking at a three-hour meeting of the mayor and council on July 12 called for greater oversight of the emergency services building rising on Washington Avenue, and raised alarm over what they see as inferior construction, deficient materials, unsupervised workmen, and even the height of the project.
They want its architect and the administration to more closely monitor contractor Tekcon Construction Inc., of Somerset.
The meeting was the first in-person session of the mayor and council since the pandemic forced the shutdown of town hall.
Robbie Conley, the $6 million-plus EMS building’s architect, said he would meet within days with the project superintendent and township engineer on site to get a better handle on the project’s status — and whether work needed to be remediated or if work should continue.
He said he was seeking third-party inspection reports on the truss work completed and other structural details.
Our inquiries to township Business Administrator Robert Tovo went unanswered. A records request to the town returned an update from Conley to Tovo, dated June 28, indicating that the project is “about 4–6-weeks behind schedule due to material delays and weather. I have a request from Tekcon for a 29 working day extension with no additional cost to the Township which I am in the process of reviewing.”
He said, “If the full 29 working days are given, the new date for substantial completion would be the first week of January.”
Mayor Peter Calamari helped break ground at the site in a Sept. 27, 2020 ceremony attended by local volunteer firefighters and ambulance crews, weeks after the Township Council awarded a $5,329,183 base bid construction contract to Tekcon Construction of Somerset, as recommended by Conley of Woodbury Heights.
Councilman Michael DeSena said at the July 12 meeting he was told in February, during discussion on a $206,000 change order for additional retaining wall work that Tovo would be the council’s liaison to the contractor on a daily/weekly basis.
To that, Tovo acknowledged he was “primary representative” with Conley and the contractor, then added, “But no, there’s never been a commitment from me to be there on a daily basis. I don’t have time for that.”
Meanwhile, said that the township was not required to adhere to its own code, and that the emergency services building application was not like a typical proposal before the Planning or Zoning board.
Neighbors of the project are complaining about its imposing scale and suggest it might exceed the height allowed by code.
To that, Township Attorney Kenneth Poller says the town is not restricted by such codes; nevertheless, Conley said he personally would measure the building’s height and the height to the top of the cupolas to make sure that it did not exceed the 53 feet, 3 inches specified in the original plans.
Conley, who also designed Montvale’s new firehouse, told township residents it does not appear likely to him that the building is taller than permitted.
Council members, including President Stacey Feeney, requested that Tovo ask Tekcon Construction and Boswell Engineering, the town’s engineer, to appear at the Aug. 9 council meeting to answer questions.
Pascack Press reached out to Tekcon Construction for comment on allegations of poor workmanship and use of defective materials. The firm did not reply by press time.
Feeney urged the council to “use the remedies available to us” to monitor the quality of work.
Councilman Steven Cascio asked whether a stop-work order could be issued based on anything negative the township’s professionals find.
In their own words
Following several residents alleging suspect building practices and defective materials being used on the new building, and councilmen DeSena and Cascio questioning recent roofing work going on during a heavy rain and lightning storm, Conley said he would meet with the project superintendent and township engineer to determine the status of trusses installed recently as well as the quality of roofing work completed.
Conley said he would request the truss manufacturer review the installation work performed to make sure the materials were installed correctly and meet manufacturer specifications.
Conley said he had questions about whether the shingles’ manufacturer would warranty the product after it was installed on wet sheathing (plywood).
He said he also had sent an email to the contractor to remove rotted pieces of plywood that were installed as roof underlayment.
One neighbor said that he did not see rotted plywood being replaced prior to roofers installing shingles. The defective plywood was pointed out by volunteer fighters who work in the trades, Conley conceded.
Conley said under his contract he visits the site once every two weeks and meets with the project superintendent for an update and to monitor the work.
Several residents wondered why the council had not assigned township professionals such as the engineer, construction code official, and building inspector to keep tabs on the project.
Former Councilman Michael Ullman, reached for comment, said that the council cannot assign township professionals as it does not have the authority by statute. “However, the mayor and administrator do have that authority under the current form of government.”
Mary Ann Ozment, formerly the township clerk and Zoning Board secretary, said that she initially recommended a clerk of the works monitor site construction and said that that oversight is desperately needed.
Calamari said he would check the record to see if the council indicated it wanted more oversight on ESB construction than currently underway.
Conley told residents that the time to question the ESB proposal was two years ago when it was presented before the mayor and council, and discussed in hearings.