Borough Council tables vote on hiring the Emergency Response Design Group
By: Nick Norlen
The Princeton Regional Health Commission will get a final say on the hiring of an emergency preparedness consulting firm before Borough Council votes to approve the contract, the council decided Tuesday.
The council tabled a vote on a professional services agreement with the Emergency Response Design Group in order to allow the Health Commission to review the terms of the proposed contract and the services to be provided.
Regional Health Officer David Henry said the idea of an emergency preparedness program was originally initiated by the commission.
Council’s vote Tuesday will allow the commission to discuss the proposal at its next meeting and to give feedback to council "just in case there’s a part of the proposal that the health commission thought should be looked at more closely or refined," he said.
The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 18, when it will most likely pass a resolution to send it back to Borough Council, Mr. Henry said.
According to documents provided by the borough, ERDG would assist both the borough and the township with emergency preparedness measures with a four-phase project, including a feasibility study, assessment of current preparedness in Princeton, implementation and evaluation.
The contract proposed at Tuesday’s meeting would have approved a $15,000 expenditure for the Phase 1 feasibility study, with the cost being shared equally by the borough and the township.
During the meeting, resident Linda Sipprelle, a Republican candidate for Borough Council, called the proposal "premature," and said the process to date hasn’t involved enough input from appropriate officials.
But Borough Administrator Bob Bruschi said the proposed agreement was the "result of probably a dozen meetings" involving police officials and community members.
"I don’t want you to think that this is something that was thrown together without a lot of discussion by a lot of people who believe that we should be moving toward educating our community and have them prepared for" all types of emergencies, he said.
Mr. Bruschi noted that several other more expensive firms were considered, but that the group chosen has worked with and came "highly recommended" by the Princeton Township Police Department.
Nevertheless, Ms. Sipprelle said the issue is not one to be taken lightly.
"The university has moved forward in this regard," she said. "We have not."

