Plumsted officials are calling an approved $1.5 million bond ordinance a major step toward the construction of infrastructure to support downtown New Egypt and a future housing development.
The bond, which carries a 40- year period of usefulness, will be used to cover preliminary expenses associated with the New Egypt redevelopment plan, officials said.
“We are effectively getting our ducks in a row with this bond ordinance,” Plumsted Mayor Jack Trotta said.
For the better part of a decade, officials have been addressing the possibility of constructing a sewer system and a water treatment plant in order to make downtown New Egypt more appealing to a wider commercial base.
To that end, Plumsted officials are seeking approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to build a waste water treatment plant on Route 537 that would facilitate the proposed sewer system.
The New Egypt redevelopment plan also cites the construction of a sewer system as a key element for the proposed construction of a 100-home development on Province Line Road.
Officials have said the sewer system, which would be serviced by the water treatment plant, would also benefit downtown New Egypt, which has no sewer system, by creating opportunities to attract new businesses to the community.
According to a draft permit from the DEP, the agency would set limits for the acceptable amounts of phosphorous, nitrates, total dissolved solids and heavy metals that would make their way into Crosswicks Creek by way of the treatment plant’s surface discharge system.
“We are hopeful [the approvals will arrive] in the short term,” Trotta said. “After that, we can move forward.”
Although officials are still waiting for the DEP approvals, Trotta said a number of agreements among the township, the builder and the current land owner have already been made in order to speed up the process.
“We are at that point where you have to start making these moves in order to be ready, because we can’t expect all of these different groups to approve us overnight,” Trotta said. “There might be issues with the project so we have to plan it out so we can make sure it all gets done.”
Trotta said the issuance of the $1.5 million bond will be timed with the final approvals from the DEP.
“We will not officially borrow the money in that bond until we know we have to,” the mayor said. “Once we have the right approvals, then we will borrow the money to start the process.”
Trotta estimated that ground could be broken on the sewer system and the water treatment plant in late 2016 or early 2017, with final completion expected about five to six years from that time.