BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
ROOSEVELT – There may be some good news coming from the state with regard to the borough’s water problems.
At recent Borough Council meetings, utilities Chairman Bob Silverstein has reported that the town’s 70-year-old water tower needs to be replaced and its water mains need to be cleaned, which has not been done since they were constructed in the late 1930s. Silverstein estimated the cleaning cost at about $1.3 million overall, but said the work could be staggered over several years.
Borough Engineer Carmela Roberts estimated the cost of a 200,000-gallon water tower at $690,000 and a 100,000-gallon at $575,000. A contractor related that a temporary 10,000-gallon tank, which the borough would rely on during the new tower’s construction, would cost about $50,000, she said.
At the Borough Council’s March 26 meeting, Silverstein reported that the borough’s change over last year to metered billing for its water/sewer system customers resulted in a $90,000 revenue shortfall due to the loss of a billing period.
“It’s tight this year,” he said. “We must raise rates.”
The borough’s tax collector is currently figuring out a new water/sewer rate. Silverstein is expected to report the recommended rate to the governing body at the next council meeting.
Councilman Jeff Ellentuck, a member of the borough’s Finance Committee, reported on a meeting that he, Roberts and the borough’s chief financial officer, George Lange, had with officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection Water Supply Administration and the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust Fund (NJEITF). He said the participants discussed replacing or repairing the water tower, cleaning the water mains, and stormwater work on Pine Drive.
Ellentuck said the NJEITF would lend the town funds for replacing the water tower and for repairing and cleaning the water mains.
“We had a long, lively discussion about the size of the town and payment base,” he said, adding that the borough only has 635 residents to help repay the bonds.
Roosevelt does not have a bond rating due to its size, which actually worked in the town’s favor, Ellentuck said. The borough’s status as a historic district also worked to the town’s advantage as did its old infrastructure, he said.
The borough would be able to bond for a replacement water tank for 20 years, according to Ellentuck.
According to its Web site, NJEITF offers the lowest interest rates available. The agency would also provide the borough with a free environmental engineer for the repair or replacement of the water tower. The cost of an engineer for such a project generally accounts for 15 percent of the costs, according to Ellentuck.
“Fifteen percent of $4 million is a heck of lot of money,” he said.
Rather than repairing the existing tank, Roberts recommended building a new tank. Any new water tower has to be maintained on a 10-year basis, according to Ellentuck.
“The water tower must be drained every 10 years,” he said.
When the borough drains the tank, there would have to be some other sort of water supply, he said.
Ellentuck said NJEITF needs additional information about the borough’s water tower, since Robert’s report about it dealt with the degrees of degradation of various parts of the tower, including its supports.
“Whatever we put up, must be able to stand up,” Ellentuck said.
He said he would further speak to Roberts regarding the costs and recommended that the borough submit a “kitchen sink” application to the NJEITF that would include a broader range of requests, which could later be changed. The application would reserve a place on the applicants list for the borough with regard to the bonding, he said.
“Due to the size of the town, it would probably go to the top of the pile quickly,” he said.