TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—The new year likely will be a happy one for local volunteer firefighters, ambulance crews, and residents alike, according to the town’s Emergency Services Building architect, who predicts personnel and equipment will be able to move into their new HQ near the start of the new year.
Architect Robbie Conley told Pascack Press last week, “We are looking at the first or second week of January” for moving in and that general contractor Tekcon will be focusing on completing all outside work, including spreading asphalt, in the coming weeks.
Conley said asphalt plants often close in late November to early December due to the colder weather.
He said once the new building is functional, the old firehouse, next door at 656 Washington Ave. — erected in 1951 and upgraded in the 1960s — will be razed, and the lot paved in spring or summer.
At the construction site on Sept. 28, we asked town administrator Robert Tovo for comment on the likelihood of commuter parking at the old firehouse site.
“As of right now it’s very unlikely there’ll be room for commuter parking here. So we’re looking for alternatives,” Tovo said.
The Washington Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps, now at 354 Hudson Ave., near the municipal building, will move into the first floor of the new $6 million-plus Emergency Services Building. (See related story: “WTVAC looks to double riders with HQ upgrade.”)
Also in 2022 the nearby Washington Avenue and Pascack Road intersection likely will be reconstructed under a shared services agreement the town worked out with Bergen County. (See “Mayor: With land taking, intersection fix good for spring,” Pascack Press, Sept. 25, 2021.)
Meanwhile, as neighbors continue to object at council meetings to the size and scale of the new Emergency Services Building, the council on Oct. 4 is expected to take up a discussion on review procedures for such town projects. (See “Reforms for public projects now eyed for Oct. 4 session,” Pascack Press, Sept. 25, 2021.)
631 Washington Ave. residents John and Lynn Pistono have asked the Township Council to reduce the building’s height and scale at several meetings, complained about shoddy workmanship, and questioned storm runoff, illumination issues, and the building’s decorative cupola.
While not agreeing to make any changes in the design — which was approved more than two years ago — councilmember Steven Cascio said the problems that have developed with residents should not be repeated.
One sticking point: residents within 200 feet complained they did not receive notification of the project by certified mail but rather were notified via standard mail, town attorney Ken Poller previously said.
Poller has noted that municipal projects need not meet the same conditions and notification requirements as do developer and homeowner projects.
Most residents seemed surprised that the same project review standards did not apply to township-sponsored construction projects. Former councilman Michael Ullman pointed out that although the town isn’t required to meet these conditions, neither is it prevented from following them.
Cascio said council would consider a measure to impose similar review requirements on municipal projects that are currently on both developer and homeowner projects. That discussion, anticipated at the most recent council meeting, was pushed to Oct. 4, with Council President Stacey Feeney saying she’d asked Poller to come back then with a draft proposal.