The City Council approved spending nearly $128,000 for improvements, $40,000 of which will come from a grant.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE The City Council has authorized spending nearly $128,000 for improvements to Ely Field.
A total of $127,800 will be used to construct a permanent snack shack for to be used by football and baseball teams as well as bathrooms that will be handicapped accessible.
Slightly more than $40,000 of the funds will come from a New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Livable Communities Grant. Another $16,000 comes from the Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity from funds paid to the city as a required redevelopment contribution. The remainder will come from the city.
A contract for the work will be awarded at the February council meeting, according to City Clerk Lori Buckelew.
The city put the improvements out for bid twice in 2006, but both times received a response from only one bidder, New Jersey based contractor Charles Mann. The contractor has agreed to hold his price, Ms. Buckelew said.
Under the law, municipalities have 60 days to award a contract after opening the bids unless the two lowest bidders agree to a delay, according to Ms. Buckelew.
Mayor David Del Vecchio was uncertain how long it would take for the improvements to be installed and completed.
A variety of improvements for Ely Field have evolved in recent years, including a new basketball court and a new Little League field. In 2003, drainage improvements were undertaken.
The city has been planning the bathrooms and permanent snack hut since at least 2005. The mayor discussed them in his state-of-the-city address in 2006. Now they’re about to come to fruition in 2007.
An earlier phase of improvements for Ely Field cost slightly more than $290,000 and included the basketball court and the Little League field as well as some new equipment. These were paid for with grants.