Borough will use new truck to replace one of its two garbage trucks
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
Pennington Borough Council voted unanimously Monday night to adopt an ordinance appropriating $170,000 for a new garbage truck.
Bonds totaling $161,500 will be used to pay for the portion of the cost not covered by the down payment.
The borough will use the new truck to replace one of its two garbage trucks. The one it will replace, which is the older of the two trucks the borough has, already has been taken out of service and will be traded in, Public Works Director Jeff Wittkop said.
The truck that has been taken out of service is not compliant with state Department of Environmental Protection regulations, and the borough decided buying a new truck and trading in the old one made more economic sense than retrofitting the old one.
During the public hearing on the ordinance, Andy Carver, of 300 N. Main St., asked officials to add $3,500 to the ordinance in order to plant more trees between the Public Works facility and North Main Street.
The trees would screen garbage trucks from public view. Mr. Carver said the visibility of the trucks is lowering his property values. He lives across the street from the Public Works facility, which was built several years ago to replace a dilapidated facility on Broemel Place.
He also indicated it is a detriment to the borough’s overall quality of life.
The council turned down Mr. Carver’s request, citing the cost of the trees he wants in a tight budget year and noting the growth of trees already planted at the site will gradually diminish the view of the garbage trucks.
ALSO at Monday night’s meeting, the council said it would investigate South Main Street resident Mark O’Day’s complaint about brush not being hauled away from his borough properties by Public Works.
Mr. O’Day said he was entitled to that service under borough law.
Councilman Joseph Lawver and other officials said the borough has left the brush alone because it has been considered waste from construction work. The borough is not required to haul such waste away, said Mr. Lawver, who said he would study borough law in an effort to see whether Mr. O’Day’s complaint was justified.
IN OTHER BUSINESS Monday night, the council appointed Beverly Tucker and Mary Mistretta to the borough Board of Health for thee-year terms.
Councilwoman Eileen Heinzel reported Winn Thompson and Jeanne Donlon have been re-elected chairman and vice chairwoman respectively of the Pennington Borough Planning Board, and Kathleen O’Connor is the new president of the borough library’s board of trustees.

