TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Township Council members said Sept. 6 that they would rather ask the Bergen County executive to help them store excess Department of Public Works equipment and vehicles temporarily instead of returning to Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, on Ridgewood Road across from the high school, to lease parking spaces.
Mayor Peter Calamari told the council that the newly drawn plans he showed at the meeting did not allow enough space for the new facility to house the current inventory of equipment.
Calamari first said that at the council’s Aug. 15 meeting.
The council has yet to agree upon a design for the estimated $4.5 million facility, though some members suggested going up in height or adding a new steel storage building to house all DPW vehicles and equipment at the town hall site, where the department was based for years until toxic soil there was ordered remediated and the headquarters was razed.
Pascack Press filed a records request for the designs presented at the Sept. 6 meeting.
The township had been renting 35 spaces at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church for $2,500 per month to store excess equipment, but moved some seasonal equipment, used for leaf and snow removal, plus some vehicles, to the 6.1-acre swim and recreation club property after its acquisition in late April.
The club, at Ridgewood Boulevard North, has remained closed in 2020, 2021 and 2022 before its recent acquisition. The town engineer is preparing a study looking at the town’s recreational facilities to recommend how to use the new recreational property.
Calamari said that during construction of a new DPW facility, it was likely that the town might need storage space exceeding what the club property could provide.
A few council members suggested that a steel building might take the place of the current ambulance corps, providing additional storage. It was not clear how much storage could be provided.
Calamari said that the architect, Arcari Iovino, had ruled out using the soon to be vacant volunteer ambulance corps building footprint for a police department sally port.
When Calamari mentioned the option to lease the OLGC property, most council members voiced opposition, preferring to explore free alternatives.
Council President Desserie Morgan said that Bergen County Executive James Tedesco III advised her that the county would help the township as a “last resort” if it needed a place to store excess equipment.
Feeney said she would like an inventory of all DPW equipment, and its square footage, to get an accurate inventory of space needs and storage alternatives. She said some DPWs are using hydraulic racking storage systems that might be explored for the town hall site or somewhere else in town.
Morgan suggested an inventory of the last time certain DPW equipment was used, and if it was feasible to even keep certain equipment. She said some equipment might be auctioned off.
Calamari told her that DPW does prepare an annual list of equipment to be auctioned off, which includes equipment or vehicles not used in the past year. He said he thought the DPW had already completed this year’s list.
Council members were against spending any more money on leasing parking spaces. Calamari said it would likely be at least a year before any agreement on what to do at the swim club is final, which could allow parking there for at least a year.
Calamari repeated that council may have to renew the OLGC agreement because DPW vehicles now parking at the town hall will be displaced by construction of a new DPW facility.
He said previously when DPW equipment was stored there, neither the church nor the town received complaints from neighbors. [That said, he’d taken heat from, and strongly pushed back at, critics who pointed out his alleged appearance of conflict of interest over his and his father’s roles in church governance. Ed.]
“I don’t agree with spending money when we have a place [the club site] to store all the equipment,” said Feeney.
Calamari is on record assuring residents the club property would be for recreational uses and not for DPW operations. He said recently he was encouraged by feedback on the township’s application for a substantial open space grant over the club site purchase.
Morgan noted that the county agreed to serve as a “last resort” to provide parking space for some DPW vehicles and equipment. Calamari said that the meaning of “last resort” may be different for the county executive and local officials.
Morgan said if all DPW equipment does not fit at the club site, the council should ask the county executive if they could temporarily store equipment at the Bergen County annex.
“We should definitely explore that before we pay rent,” said Councilwoman Daisy Velez. Calamari agreed.
Calamari had long advocated for a new DPW facility at the border with Paramus, on the footprint of the former Charlie Brown’s restaurant at 95 Linwood Ave. — plans were drawn up out of public view and presented as a concept — but that investigation fell through over environmental concerns and amid a firestorm of opposition from neighbors.
The town council voted not to proceed with that purchase.