BY SHERRY CONOHAN
Staff Writer
MONMOUTH BEACH — Meadow Avenue will be repaved soon, from Spaulding Place to the entrance to the Two Rivers Water Reclamation Authority plant at Highland Avenue.
The authority board, at its Aug. 17 meeting, authorized the payment of up to $50,000 for the milling and repaving of the road, which has taken a beating from all the trucks going to the plant during the $48 million project to expand and upgrade the sewer facility.
But all other costs associated with the repaving, including but not limited to the curb and drainage construction and engineering and legal costs, are to be borne by the borough.
Borough Commissioner William C. Barham said the borough already has put the job out for bid and had hoped to have the results in time for the Sept. 14 meeting. He noted the borough would have 60 days to award a contract after receipt of the bids.
The sewer authority previously paid five years ago for the repaving of Meadow Avenue from Patten Avenue to Spaulding Place, according to executive director Michael A. Gianforte.
The sewer authority and borough are moving ahead now on the project because the major construction on the sewer plant has been completed, but the authorization to pay for the repair of the road did not pass the authority without an objection.
Gregory Christopher, a representative from West Long Branch, said Monmouth Beach should use the money the sewer authority is giving the town for its recently increased in-lieu-of-taxes payment to finance the road repaving rather than authority funds.
The in-lieu-of-taxes payment went up from $3,500 a year, dating back to the sewer authority’s inception more than three decades ago, to $20,000.
“What’s wrong with using that money?” Christopher asked.
William Leonard, authority chairman, said the authority put no stipulations on how the borough could use that money when it increased the payment. He said that money pays for the services the authority gets from the town, including garbage collection, police and fire protection and first aid coverage.
Elwood Baxter, his predecessor as chairman, said the sum was raised three years ago because Monmouth Beach, as the host community for the sewer plant, suffered the most from its presence.
Christopher failed to muster any support for his position, and the authority voted 8-1 to pay for the repaving.

