By Amy Batista, Specail Writer
HIGHTSTOWN – Council discussed concerns over the automated floodgate that is no longer operating properly at the Peddie Lake dam during its meeting on Nov. 16.
The floodgate is designed to follow water levels up and down and to open or close based on those water levels. But according to borough engineer Carmela Roberts, it has not been operating properly for several months.
“Ken Lewis (public works superintendent) and Larry Blake have asked us to look into this to evaluate what needs to be done,” said Ms. Roberts.
She said estimate put the cost of making this replacement at about $37,500, along with engineering fees estimated at an additional $8,000.
“What would you need from council on that?” Mayor Larry Quattrone said, questioning if Ms. Roberts needed that authorization the night of the meeting.
Borough Administrator Henry Underhill said that basically the floodgate is supposed operate automatically but it hasn’t been doing that.
“When there is any rain, he (Mr. Lewis) monitors it manually and goes down there and regulates it by eye,” said Mr. Underhill.
He said repairs to the floodgate mechanism have already been made this year by divers.
“But that’s not what we are talking about now,” he said. “We are talking about a complete replacement of the system so that it will go up and down in the middle the night in case somebody is sleeping when the big rain hits.”
Council member Steven Misiura asked it the floodgate is indeed inoperable now and for how long it has been that way.
Mr. Underhill said he believe the floodgate has been faulty for a couple of years. “They’ve been trying different fixes,” he said.
Mayor Quattrone interjected and said that the floodgate had been operated manually for 20 years prior to its upgrade
“Then we had to hook up and make it automatic,” he said. “The runout switch went bad and jammed everything up so now it’s not working automatically. So now we monitor it and actually manually turn it on.”
Mr. Underhill suggested that the council consider putting the repair costs on its capital list of things in January.
“I think the real concern is, and I’m not 100 percent sure, when they go over there now to open and close it they do it with a switch and if that stops, they’re never going to be able to open it or close it,” Mayor Quattrone said.
Council President Denise “Denny” Hansen said that mechanical functionality can’t be repaired.
“It’s an electrical component,” Ms. Roberts said. “This is the repair.”
