TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—The Township Council on Feb. 22 hired two consultants to undertake a property survey and environmental site assessment at the 6.5-acre Washington Township Swim and Recreation Club, 464 Ridgewood Boulevard North.
The council approved both consultants’ hiring by a 4-0 vote. Vice President Stacey Feeney was absent. No one from the council or public commented.
Moreover, neither public resolution hiring the two consultants stated possible fees or costs. Pascack Press requested copies of the contracts Feb. 22; we did not receive them by press time.
On Feb. 7, the Township Council approved, 4-0, a nearly $792,000, 40-year bond to purchase the club after its negotiations with the winning bidder tanked last summer, opening the door for Mayor Peter Calamari to make a second offer on the property.
A prior public notice and the bond ordinance listed an interest cost of $70,000 on the bond over its 40-year term. Officials have yet to reveal the average annual cost to taxpayers for the bond.
The township’s first offer was for $1 million, which included $600,000 for the land and $400,000 for needed improvements. That deal, ultimately rejected by club bond holders, required the town to operate the facility as a swim club for two years; the current purchase deal required no such commitment, Calamari said.
The total current bonding of $800,000 for the club includes $761,900 in principal, and $38,100 as bond down payment.
Resolution 22-172, also approved Feb. 7, lists the actual swim club purchase price as $750,000. However, it was unclear whether that offer had been officially accepted by swim club bondholders, which had been the stumbling block to a prior township bid.
It also was unclear if the due diligence phase now begun by hiring two consultants for site surveys and environmental and land use analyses need to occur before an actual purchase contract is signed. Generally, due diligence studies and reports precede a final closing and contract signing.
Resolution 22-180 hires Azzolina & Feury Engineering, Inc., Paramus, to provide surveying and related services for 464 Ridgewood Boulevard North, comprising Lot 1 in Block 2301 and Lot 1.01 in Block 2401.
Resolution 22-281 hires Lisko Environmental LLC, Belmar, as the township’s licensed site remediation professional (LSRP) to perform “an environmental assessment and a land use assessment” at 464 Ridgewood Boulevard North, which is the swim club property.
Lisko also handled soil remediation at the former DPW headquarters behind town hall, plus related environmental work here.
Lisko was awarded a $193,541 professional services contract in late June 2021 to provide oversight and subcontract for removal of 950 tons of contaminated soil at the DPW site. That work began late October 2021.
Township Attorney Ken Poller said the contract award to Lisko did not require competitive bids because it made more sense to go with a professional services contract as council had previously done for the DPW site, also employing Lisko since initiating remedial work there.
The site recently was certified as remediated, according to Calamari.
On deck: Charlie Brown’s site
In related news, the township recently offered $1.3 million to purchase a 1.5-acre triangular lot at 95 Linwood Ave., site of a former Charlie Brown’s restaurant, pushing aside a similar offer from Apple Montessori Schools for the property.
The stealth purchase deal came to light when Erica Amon, a representative from Apple Montessori Schools, called in to a special Jan. 13 council session on the swim club and inquired about the township’s interest and bid in the former restaurant. (See “Hardball $1.3M bid on Charlie Brown’s property: Condemnation threat as town steps on deal with Montessori school,” Pascack Press, Jan. 28, 2022.)
Officials have yet declined to share their vision for the Linwood Avenue property.
Meanwhile, a permanent replacement home for the DPW evidently is taking shape out of sight of the public. Calamari says plans are under review by top DPW officials in the manner that the joint volunteer fire department and ambulance corps headquarters came to be. He said these would be made available to the council and public at a later date.