HOWELL — The Howell Township Council’s recent decision to keep the town’s offices at the municipal complex on Preventorium Road means that aging septic systems at that location will have to be addressed soon.
Representatives of the Monmouth County Health Department inspected the outdated septic system in the public works building “multiple times this year,” TownshipManager Helene Schlegel said recently.
“It needs to be addressed immediately,” Schlegel said at a special capital budget meeting in April. “And if it doesn’t get addressed, we’ll be fined.”
All of the buildings in the municipal complex, which fronts on Old Tavern and Preventorium roads, are on individual septic systems, Mayor Robert F. Walsh explained.
“This town has neglected the maintenance and upkeep of our municipal complex for many, many years,” he said on May 16. “Now the rubber has met the road. In the next two years, millions of dollars will have to be spent.”
During discussion in recent months, Walsh had favored purchasing the Global Corporate Center on Route 9 north near Friendship Road and moving the municipal offices to the 20-year-old building.
However, the council decided in March not to proceed with the $8 million purchase of the corporate center because of a $1.8 million reduction in state aid and the possible layoffs of 16 police officers.
“One of the reasons we strongly considered a new building was because we knew the sewer system was in desperate need of improvement,” Walsh said. “There are new state Department of Environmental Protection regulations [in place], new leach field regulations and sanitary sewer regulations. It’s not like it used to be.”
The public works building, which fronts on Old Tavern Road, is about 40 years old. Most of the municipal buildings off Preventorium Road are far older. Town Hall is 100 years old.
Council members made no decision at the capital budget meeting on how to proceed, but Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Filiatreault said officials have two choices for the public works building — install a new “package” septic system or hook into existing sewer lines, a far more costly venture.
“This one’s got to be done,” assistant public works director George Gravatt told the council at the capital budget meeting.
The problems could have been avoided if the Global Corporate Center purchase was still on the township’s radar, Walsh said.
“We should be in a 20-year-old building and not in a 100-year-old building,” the mayor said.