TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—The township administrator and engineer provided updates Aug. 10 for ongoing local projects, including 450 Pascack Road, a warning light near the Emergency Services Building, upgrades to a dangerous intersection, streambank restoration in Musquapsink Brook, and new inclusive playground equipment at Clark and Memorial fields.
Administrator Mark DiCarlo and Engineer Glenn Beckmeyer Jr. provided status reports on proposed projects and sought council input before proceeding. At one point, the meeting livestream stopped but was restored within minutes. The meeting video is available online.
Plans for 450 Pascack property
At 450 Pascack Road, following its acquisition for $750,000 last year, a contractor recently demolished a house and barn on the site.
The administration proposes turning the 3.2-acre strip of land between Ridgewood Boulevard East, Memorial Field and Washington Elementary School into a passive recreation area, with a wood-chip walking path about six feet wide extending about two-thirds of the site’s length.
Toward the rear is a protected riparian area near a small stream, DiCarlo said. The proposed path would loop back before reaching that area.
Councilor Steven Cascio suggested a fence separating the property from the nearby school for safety, and DiCarlo said costs would be obtained. Council President Michael DeSena suggested connecting a future parking lot at 450 Pascack Road with the nearby Memorial Field lot, allowing entry through one driveway and exit through another.
DiCarlo said the project’s cost estimate, without connecting the lots, was three years old and needed updating. A proposed eight-car lot might also be expanded; Beckmeyer said somewhere between 10 and 20 spaces might be possible.
Other options include a native pollinator garden, rain garden, picnic tables and making the park ADA-accessible, Beckmeyer said. He also will price the parking connection, a possible decorative fence and, at Councilor Michael Ullman’s request, path lighting.
Warning lights at ESB building
Following negotiations, DiCarlo said the county has allowed the township to purchase, install and maintain two flashing warning signs for east- and westbound traffic on Washington Avenue by the Emergency Services Building.
The solar-powered, pole-mounted yellow lights will display the message “Emergency Vehicles Exiting When Flashing” and will be activated by emergency responders with handheld fobs.
DiCarlo said the lights will not stop traffic but will warn motorists that fire trucks and ambulances are exiting. He said the signs cost about $15,000, not including installation.
DeSena said the warning signs were promised to first responders during firehouse construction several years ago.
Councilor Tom Sears, a volunteer firefighter here, questioned whether the placement accounted for the turning radius of fire trucks leaving the bays. Beckmeyer said the signs will be outside the roadway area marked “Do Not Block The Box.” Sears remained concerned that vehicles stopping too close to the building could interfere with a large truck’s exit.
Upgrades at Washington—Van Emburgh intersection
DiCarlo said Bergen County has made signage and striping changes at the Washington Avenue–Van Emburgh Avenue intersection, including moving stop lines to improve sight lines.
County figures show about 20,000 vehicles use the intersection daily — about 12,000 on Van Emburgh and 8,000 on Washington Avenue, he said.
The county reported 82 crashes over six years, including 22 involving injuries. DiCarlo said statistics show most crashes involve westbound Washington Avenue traffic and vehicles traveling north on Van Emburgh.
Beckmeyer said additional warning signs have been installed and the county asked the township to remove vegetation blocking motorists’ sight lines. The township will perform initial trimming, with homeowners responsible for maintaining vegetation afterward, DiCarlo said.
Ullman said motorists traveling north on Van Emburgh still need to “creep into” the intersection to see approaching traffic. Beckmeyer said officials would reassess the sight lines.
DiCarlo said the county plans a traffic count in September to help determine whether a signal is warranted. He said traffic volume is only one factor, with the steep hill, roadway curves and engineering considerations also involved.
Memorial Field, Clark Field ADA upgrades
At Memorial Field, DiCarlo said plans include ADA parking, a ramp, sidewalk improvements and three new ADA-accessible bleachers designed to allow someone using a wheelchair to sit with others in the bleachers.
He said extending the sidewalk around the field was not possible because of drainage issues.
DiCarlo also read letters from two families, one with an autistic child and another with a child with physical disabilities, praising the township’s accessibility efforts and looking forward to new equipment at Clark Field.
Beckmeyer said Clark will have two ADA-accessible parking spaces and two pathways to new accessible playground equipment. DiCarlo displayed photos of planned equipment including swings, slides, sensory features, musical equipment and a communication panel.
An existing tire swing will be removed because it is not ADA-compliant, he said.
Swim club site update: Sept. 8 presentation
DiCarlo said “we finally have a plan together” for the former swim club property and plans to have Frank Rossi of Boswell Engineering make a presentation at the Sept. 8 council meeting.
He said Rossi has determined the “contamination circumference” and developed a soil-remediation plan. DiCarlo said he hopes Rossi will provide a cost estimate and timeline.
A 2024 pre-demolition survey found asbestos and lead-based paint onsite, along with polychlorinated biphenyls in exterior caulk around windows, doors and the swimming pool.
The township purchased the 6-plus-acre property in April 2022 with hopes of creating recreational space. It has remained shuttered since contaminants were discovered.
DiCarlo said the township hopes to recoup up to 75% of remediation costs through a state NJDEP hazardous-site remediation program.
Musquapsink Brook restoration underway
DiCarlo identified a Washington Avenue site where erosion and sediment wash into Musquapsink Brook during storms and requested a $44,500 change order to address it as part of the larger brook restoration project.
He said doing the work now would save $10,000 to $20,000 in NJDEP application costs as well as a contractor mobilization fee. Council later approved the change order by voice vote.
“Correct this now and it will save a lot of money down the line,” DiCarlo told council.
DiCarlo said the newly identified erosion was not part of a 2023 drone study that found severely eroded sanitary manholes and led to “emergency” streambank work beginning in 2024.
DeSena and Ullman asked whether similar erosion problems likely existed elsewhere along Musquapsink Brook. Ullman asked whether going “fifty yards upstream” beyond the current project might reveal the same conditions. DiCarlo said it likely would.
DiCarlo said he plans to put about $700,000 into upcoming budgets for future brook restoration.
“We have plans to address this in stages,” DiCarlo said.