Grant will fund repairs at municipal buildings

HOWELL — With approval for a Community Development Block Grant in hand, renovations are being planned at several municipal buildings, including Town Hall.

Township Engineer William Nunziato told members of the Township Council at a recent meeting that the renovations to the municipal building as well as to the engineering and human resources buildings will bring these facilities into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Nunziato said $50,000 will be spent fixing the access ramps at all three buildings, while $40,000 will be spent to renovate bathrooms at all three buildings.

Steve Meier, chairman of the Howell Citizens Advisory Committee, told council members they were off to a good start with the proposed work, but said all the buildings in Howell needed to be brought up to ADA standards set 20 years ago.

Mayor Timothy J. Konopka said the work presently being planned is the first of two phases.

In other news, Konopka reported that Howell has been awarded $1 million from the state Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres program — $500,000 in low-interest loans and $500,000 in grant funding — to be used for the purchase of development rights of township farms.

"We did ask for more ($10 million), but getting money from the state is no easy accomplishment, so we’re very proud to have been granted this amount," the mayor said.

In the town’s request for $10 million from the state, 619 acres were earmarked for preservation.

Konopka said the two most prominent farms being considered priorities for preservation money are the 72-acre Hascup farm and the 138-acre Schuck farm, both on Route 524 in the northern end of the township.

According to Konopka, money raised from the town’s 1-cent open space appropriation cannot be used toward farmland purchase. He said that money can only be spent directly for open space and on active and passive recreation development, as well as the protection of environmentally sensitive areas. It may not be used for land that is being bought solely for the purpose of preventing residential or commercial development.

Konopka said additional farmland acquisition money can be obtained with the request of county aid in conjunction with the sale of bonds.

— Kathy Baratta