TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Construction is underway behind Bethany Community Center on the township’s proposed new Department of Public Works (DPW) storage site, with final council approval of the 18-month site lease expected at the Nov. 10 meeting.
A Pascack Press reporter visiting the area on Saturday, Nov. 1, observed two large dump trucks and an excavator on-site. Fencing had been installed, and a wide path had been excavated for a driveway off Woodfield Road.
Pascack Press wrote town administrator Mark DiCarlo for a timeline for completion of the Bethany site improvements, and asking whether the plans had received—or required—a review by the Planning Board. We didn’t hear back by press time.
On Oct. 20, the council unanimously introduced an ordinance to lease the 1.25-acre site for $5,800 per month. DiCarlo told Pascack Press that improvements will include a new driveway from Woodfield Road and gated fencing around the area designated for DPW vehicles and equipment.
Vendor invoices we obtained show the cost of security fencing, to be installed by Bergen Fence of Ridgefield Park, at $18,850. Driveway construction, by Cifelli & Son General Contracting of Nutley, is $38,900, bringing total site upgrades to $57,750.
Including lease payments and site work, the total cost over 18 months is nearly $162,000. DiCarlo said the lease costs will be drawn from the township budget, while the site upgrades will likely be funded by a reappropriation of $150,349.85 in remaining capital funds originally earmarked for construction of a new DPW facility.
The Bethany site will provide temporary storage for DPW vehicles and equipment now housed behind Town Hall and in 35 leased spaces at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Construction of the township’s $4.9 million DPW facility, planned for the rear of Town Hall, is expected to begin soon.
Officials have said the Bethany property was the only location in town that met the department’s storage needs.
The lease has largely been discussed in closed session, with only brief public reference during the Oct. 6 council meeting.