PARK RIDGE—The Borough Council introduced a bond ordinance on March 11 for $405,000 to remove and replace a three-decade-old underground fuel storage tank near the DPW’s recycling center.
The bond’s introduction was approved 5-0 by the council. Councilman William Fenwick was absent but attended the work session remotely. A public hearing is scheduled for March 25.
Borough Clerk Maggie Giandomenico said the tank is being replaced to meet New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) standards.
Giandomenico said the borough is renewing its agreement with the other towns, which will likely share costs for the tank upgrade.
“We have an underground fuel tank at the DPW that is 30 years old and must be replaced by the end of June. This (ordinance) gets the funding in place. Montvale and Woodcliff Lake use the fuel, and we split the cost of the fuel and maintenance with them,” she said.
“We have also split upgrades three ways previously and are currently in talks about updating the (cost-share) agreement and determining the cost split between the three municipalities,” she added.
Ongoing PFAS treatment costs
Currently, Park Ridge’s water system meets all state and federal quality standards and is safe to drink, officials emphasized to Pascack Press. The Park Ridge system also serves parts of Woodcliff Lake.
Additionally, the council voted 5-0 to approve a bond ordinance appropriating $325,000 for engineering and permitting phases of PFAS water treatment system installations at Wells 16 and 19 in the Park Ridge water system.
Giandomenico said the borough was awarded a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community Grant under the Park Ridge Remediation Project, which will fund the construction of packaged treatment systems at the two wells.
“The borough intends to use prefabricated treatment systems and enclosures,” she said.
She noted that in 2022, Fifth District Congressman Josh Gottheimer secured a 2023 EPA Community Grant of $3,452,972 for Park Ridge. Since February 2024, she said, “We have been working with the EPA to complete the grant packet for Wells 16 and 19 to secure permanent PFAS treatment systems.”
The borough solicited proposals from qualified firms to provide engineering services for designing, permitting, and preparing bid documents for two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) treatment facilities.
“We evaluated the bids from qualified firms based on technical expertise, cost-effectiveness, and compliance with project requirements. We need to put the funding in place to work with the firms to design bid specs for the two wells and go out to bid for the project,” she said.
She added that the borough must bond for costs upfront to cover project engineering, but the EPA grant will reimburse those expenses.
The council also approved a grant application to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) Environmental Infrastructure Trust for filtration treatment and treatment housing at Wells 12 and 18, located at 86 Glendale Road and 4 New Street, respectively. Director of Operations Paul Longo was authorized to represent the borough in all project matters.