HILLSDALE—Under pressure to move DPW offices and vehicle parking back to the borough by year’s end, when their lease expires, borough officials announced plans to assess and improve the existing four-bay DPW building and possibly relocate the salt shed permanently to nearby Woodcliff Lake.
Earlier this year, following a December flood, the DPW relocated its administrative offices and light vehicle parking to two sites in Woodcliff Lake under a one-year lease costing $34,000. This lease expires on Dec. 31.
Officials indicated in early May that a detailed plan for renovating the existing DPW buildings would likely be forthcoming. However, it was unclear when the plan might be publicly presented, they told Pascack Press. The council has one meeting in July and one in August.
Councilman John Ruocco told Pascack Press on June 17 that he had not seen cost estimates for mitigating the flooding risk at the DPW site. He recalled that the administrator had previously mentioned that the cost of DPW site and building upgrades would be covered by American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds.
Borough administrator Mike Ghassali, who is also Montvale’s mayor, said on June 11 that discussions had begun with Woodcliff Lake Department of Public Works to move their borough’s salt shed there “just so we could have more room with the DEP requirements.”
In the wake of Hurricane Ida in September 2021, the borough’s DPW lost hundreds of tons of salt due to Pascack Brook flooding. Officials have been seeking solutions to the DPW flooding issues since then.
Councilwoman Abby Lundy told Pascack Press on June 17 that no official renovation plan had been seen by the council yet, but “we have to do what we can and make the best of it (on site),” she said.
At the June 11 meeting, Councilman Justin Fox, chair of the town DPW Committee, said they were obtaining estimates for on-site renovations of the DPW buildings. Fox told Pascack Press that leftover funds from a 2021 FEMA grant would likely cover the estimated costs for building upgrades. An engineering report detailing the site’s needs was planned for July’s council meeting. He emphasized that repairs would be done “as soon as possible” given the Dec. 31 lease deadline.
Ghassali mentioned that the second-floor roof on the DPW building with four bays had recently been repaired. He said two bays would likely be used for mechanic repairs of DPW vehicles, and that the second floor might need to be removed to accommodate vehicle lifting. Site plans might also include placing a permanent trailer for office operations on the site’s south side, pending DEP approval.
“And when it’s heavy rain and flooding coming, like we do every time, we have to move (equipment) to the high side,” said Ghassali. Generally, employees move DPW vehicles to the borough’s West Lot to avoid floodwaters.
Almost two months ago, Fox mentioned that the town might modify the two existing structures on site, but all improvements were focused on keeping the DPW where it is. He said the DPW committee and administrator are gathering costs and estimates, and a more formal plan would be presented to the mayor and council when ready. He declined to estimate the potential costs of future renovation plans.
Fox added that the DPW committee was discussing all possible options for addressing the ongoing flooding issues, and many options were explored before deciding to improve the current site. He emphasized that the suggested solutions were preliminary and open for discussion when a plan is presented to the council.
Officials also mentioned a recent feasibility study by Colliers Engineering & Design that offered flood-proofing options with cost estimates ranging from $2 million to $15 million. These estimates were deemed too high to pursue. Officials declined to release the Colliers letter that provided these cost estimates, fearing that residents might misunderstand the preliminary nature of the estimates.
For more on this story, see “Stricken DPW to Stay Put; Upgrade Against Flooding,” Michael Olohan, May 4, 2024, Pascack Press.