Spotswood is in the running for a grant that would fund major infrastructure improvements.
If selected, the borough would receive an estimated $7 million grant, offered through USDA Rural Development, which would give the town the ability to fund road improvements.
“We have some streets that are flat, have no drainage, have very poor sewage piping and have very poor water infrastructure. This grant will help us improve these streets with drainage from sewer and water improvements and then eventually repaving once we have all the underground items finished,” said Council President Curtis Stollen.
If the borough receives the funds, the improvements will be made to Red Bank Road, Brookside Road, Woodland Road, Landvale Road and Brookwood Road, according to Stollen.
A portion of the grant would also be put toward the construction of a new water tower on Burlington Avenue, replacing one that was removed almost 30 years ago.
“We’ve been short a water tower on Burlington Avenue since the early ‘80s and this grant will allow us to rebuild that water tower, which will restore pressure to the Clover Estates area of the town,” Stollen said.
According to Bruce Koch, certified municipal engineer for the borough, the water tower on Burlington Avenue fell into disrepair and was taken down.
“It was in bad shape and it was decided to take it down and we never had the money to put a new one up. Now the funding can help with that,” he said.
According to Koch, the borough’s only water tower is located at the public works yard.
According to Stollen, the borough will know by the end of April if it is chosen to receive the grant.
“They say it’s pretty competitive, but they were here and they saw the conditions that we had. The loan fits exactly into the kind of quality of life infrastructure that we’re looking at,” he said, referring to inspectors that assessed that the borough was eligible for the program.