TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Township officials expect to move soon on asbestos removal and demolition at the deteriorating homestead at 450 Pascack Road, while also advancing funding for a major Musquapsink Brook restoration project.
Administrator Mark DiCarlo told the council March 23 that contractor pricing was being gathered for asbestos remediation recently found at 450 Pascack Road. He said the work could be done before or as part of demolition of the site’s house and barn.
Officials expect the cost to be between $17,500 and not exceed $53,000, which is the highest amount not requiring public bidding allowed under a qualified purchasing agent. [Editor’s note: Our print edition (March 30) carrying this story contains an error on this point; we will print a correction in our next issue.]
DiCarlo said Beckmeyer Engineering had received the asbestos report and was seeking quotes from contractors experienced in safe asbestos removal and demolition. The materials could be removed in bulk or piecemeal, depending on cost.
The asbestos work follows lead-soil remediation completed behind the house in late January under a nearly $29,000 contract with Renova Environmental Company. Those costs were paid from a $250,000 seller’s escrow account established when the township bought the property in May 2025.
The house and barn remain in hazardous condition. The home’s front porch roof has mostly collapsed, the main roof appears to sag, and the barn roof has largely caved in. Officials have urged residents to stay away.
In response to a question from Councilman Michael Ullman, DiCarlo said a $66,000 state Department of Community Affairs local recreation improvement grant will cover demolition and removal of the two structures.
Separately, council introduced an ordinance appropriating $100,000 from capital fund balance to cover the local share of a Musquapsink Brook restoration project estimated at about $700,000.
The remaining funding will come from a federal grant secured by Rep. Josh Gottheimer.
When bids were opened March 12, the lowest was Downes Tree Service: $669,280. Bids ranged $894,000 to $2.3 million.
Councilman Tom Sears questioned whether the low bidder had fully assessed the site, including possible hidden piping near the streambank. DiCarlo said Boswell Engineering had worked with the contractor on similar large-scale projects and would likely provide a letter detailing the scope of work when the bid is awarded.
The project grew out of a “critical sanitary issue” identified in February 2023, when a town-shipped drone study found two sanitary manholes severely eroded by stream scouring after heavy storm runoff.