Geoffrey Wertime

By: centraljersey.com
WEST WINDSOR – The Township Council approved two bond ordinances for a total of nearly $5.9 million in expenditures for assorted capital improvements at its Monday meeting.
The larger ordinance calls for $4.7 million to be spent on a number of different projects, spending that was already in the township budget, according to Township Administrator Robert Hary. The largest of the projects in that ordinance is the decommissioning of the Duck Pond Run sewer pump station, which comes at a cost of about $1.6 million.
Mr. Hary said the township plans to replace the station, which pumps sewage uphill to a sewage line, with a gravity line that moves sewage downhill naturally and is "always better than a pump station.
"Plus there are many costs with trying to keep the pump station operational because it’s old and not functioning in the most productive manner," he continued. "By decommissioning it we will, number one, provide much better long-term sewage flow for the township, and we’ll reduce operating costs."
The current station incurs costs for items including chemicals, electricity, staffing and work by subcontractors, Mr. Hary said.
Another large item in the first ordinance is about $750,000 for the annual road improvement project. The rest of the money in the measure will go toward smaller items like pedestrian improvements, purchasing vehicles, and park and local infrastructure improvements.
The second ordinance also targets road improvements, this time exclusively. The work will be on Penn Lyle, Meadow, and Alexander roads. Mr. Hary said developer fees will cover the price tag of approximately $1.2 million, meaning it "doesn’t cost the township anything."
The township has not yet set a date or requested bids from contractors for any of the projects, and Mr. Hary estimated they would not start before late fall or early spring.
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