TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Township Administrator Mark DiCarlo told the Township Council on Feb. 2 that $45,280 in unanticipated pre-construction costs must be addressed before work begins on the township’s $4.9 million Department of Public Works facility.
DiCarlo said the added expenses will be covered with leftover funds from prior capital ordinances, not from the project’s $400,000 contingency. He said he would update the DPW facility project spreadsheet, accessible via a link on the township’s homepage.
The largest cost involves a stormwater pipe found during inspection to be structurally unsound, DiCarlo said.
DiCarlo said NV5 Global Inc. of Morristown inspected the pipe’s structural integrity and found structural deficiencies and holes near the pipe’s eastern end. He said $15,000 would be encumbered to pay NV5’s invoice.
A low bid of $24,780 from Montana Construction Inc. of Lodi will cover repairs to the pipe, DiCarlo said, and the work is expected to begin within the next week. He said an estimate from the DPW facility contractor was about $11,000 higher, and hiring Montana outside the original construction contract was “more fiscally responsible.”
“Before building a $4.9 million building on top of (the pipe), we wanted to make sure it (the pipe) was structurally sound,” DiCarlo said. DiCarlo said the township conducted a camera inspection of the pipe. He said one section near its eastern end was broken up and had holes.
DiCarlo said Montana would fix the pipe’s liner working from the stormwater pipe’s eastern end.
In addition, DiCarlo said $5,525 is needed to relocate a pole that the fire siren is attached to near the ambulance building. He said a berm is being removed and the pole must be repositioned and electrical wiring completed.
DiCarlo said that of roughly $150,000 set aside from prior capital ordinances for DPW-related costs, about $33,000 currently remains in that account after the new expenses.
Councilor Michael Ullman questioned why the stormwater pipe issues were not discovered earlier, given years of planning for a new DPW facility.
“Again there are unexpected things but I guess this, if we’re going to build it there and we know the pipe is there, should we have checked it or accounted for it before?” Ullman asked.
DiCarlo said he understood Ullman’s concern but said the township relied on professionals working on the DPW project and tried to account for potential issues. He said he hopes there will not be many more changes or extra costs.
In early October, the council approved a capital funding ordinance (25-22) totaling $150,349.85 for the DPW facility that aggregated unused funds from two prior capital ordinances.
Memorial Field grant application approved
The council also approved submitting a $175,000 application to the state Department of Community Affairs’ Local Recreation Improvement Grant program. Officials said the proposal would fund design, planning and construction of improvements at Memorial Field, including walkways, an ADA ramp, landscaping and site work. No matching funds are required, officials said.
Public notices move online under new state law
Mayor Peter Calamari said state law requires New Jersey municipalities to post all public notices on their websites starting March 1. Calamari said he directed that township public notices continue to be printed in the township’s legal newspapers through June 30, saying the state has not adequately educated the public about the change.
He said municipalities must post full, searchable and archivable legal notices directly on official websites beginning March 1. By July 1, towns must establish an online archive of notices going back at least one year, officials said.
Calamari also reminded residents to shovel snow away from fire hydrants to allow firefighters access during emergencies.