UPPER FREEHOLD: Additional permits for Reed Park sought

Proposed project’s "extras" still unresolved

By Peter Sclafani, Staff Writer
   UPPER FREEHOLD — The $1.3 million Reed Park plan inched forward last week after the Township Committee gave its engineer the go-ahead to apply for the additional permits that are required before the project can be put to bid.
   After much debate over how many of the proposed park improvements should be included in the bid package for contractors, project engineer Patrick Jeffery was told at the July 12 meeting to go ahead and apply for the remaining permits.
   The township will now be seeking a soil erosion permit from the Freehold Soil Conservation District and a septic permit from the Freehold Area Health Department. The township applied in February for wetlands and flood hazard permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection, and is still awaiting DEP’s decision.
   The Township Committee approved a $1.1 million bond issue last summer to finance the long-discussed project on a 30-acre township-owned parcel on the Route 526 bypass that is now used by youth lacrosse teams.
   In 2011, the Reed Park proposal called for drainage improvements to the fields, the relocation of a softball field, two paved parking lots, a walking path, and a building for a concession stand and indoor bathrooms. Later, the price tag rose to $1.3 million with new options, including a larger building, a veterans memorial, and an overhang above a concrete pad to provide shelter from sun and storms.
   The township applied for permits for the larger more expansive project because it didn’t want to limit its options if the bids came in low enough to do more than planned. The town could also phase in the extra components in future years as funds became available if it had all environmental permits from the start.
   Some committee members, however, are balking at how the projected cost of the park has risen, and a few were uncomfortable with continuing to seek environmental permits for the expanded version of the project.
   Mayor LoriSue Mount said last week that the Monmouth County Municipal Open Space Grant Program awarded the township a grant that will only cover a third of the project’s total cost. However, Committeemen Steve Alexander and Stanley Moslowski Jr. pointed out it would be easier to get permits for the larger project and then scale back if the bids come back too high.
   The township can apply for another county grant to help defray costs, but Business Administrator Dianne Kelly, advised the committee they would not be awarded a second grant for the same items that were on the original application.
   Mr. Jeffery, of the township’s engineering firm T&M Associates, provided guidance for the committee throughout the meeting.
   ”We can anticipate getting the Department of Environmental Protection permits soon,” he said, “but we need to know what we want to build.”
   Mrs. Mount and Committeeman Robert Faber have expressed concern about spending more than $1 million on the park at previous meetings. Mrs. Mount continued to advocate selecting only portions of the original plan in order to reduce costs; however, a consensus could not be reached on what to cut from the plan.
   Mr. Jeffery told the committee that the best way to get grants for the park might be to apply for different parts of the plan in phases, instead of all at one time. However, he noted this would take more time and possibly cost the township more money in the long run due to the potential increase in construction costs.
   ”You can’t move forward without knowing what permits you need,” Mr. Jeffery said.
   ”I just want to get the project going,” Mr. Alexander replied.