BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — As the downtown continues to flourish — with only one vacancy in sight since the implementation of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance — borough officials have been tackling a stinky situation.
“This is something we have been working on for a couple of months — the garbage situation on Main Street,” said Councilman Jay Muldoon at a Borough Council meeting on May 15.
He said trash in the borough provided trash receptacles had become a vexing problem, which he said many in the borough were displeased with.
The councilman said it may have been a combination of a lack of information and miscommunication of people dumping garbage where they shouldn’t be.
The situation had persisted, Muldoon said, also as a result of more businesses occupying once vacant store fronts, the increasing number of downtown restaurants and more people living downtown.
“All of which are actually really good things, but it has resulted in [an increased] amount of garbage being generated,” he said. “So in our efforts [to combat the situation] we have determined what was going on and what correct process and policy [to follow]. I think that right information is getting out there and people are starting to do the right thing.”
The councilman said he and Councilman Reed Leibfried have been working closely with Fred Hall, Department of Public Works [DPW] director, Jennifer Maier, borough business administrator and the Metuchen Downtown Alliance to address the issue of businesses and residents placing garbage and recycling receptacles on Main Street and other streets in the downtown.
“The goal is to improve the appearance of our downtown and address health and safety concerns while working with our downtown businesses and landlords,” Muldoon said.
The Borough Council will soon adopt amended policies and procedures of the placement of garbage and recycling receptacles in the downtown area.
“The objective is to eliminate where possible the placing of garbage and recycling [receptacles] in front of businesses and on the sidewalks on Main Street and throughout the downtown district,” he said while maintaining a healthy and safe, attractive downtown.
The new policy is going to be for businesses and residential units on Main Street, New Street and throughout the downtown district.
“Garbage and recycling from businesses and residential units are to be placed in the rear of the building for pickup by DPW,” Muldoon said. “This is kind of what the practice was many years ago and for various reasons it has migrated to placing garbage in the front.”
The new policy will go back to the previous practice of picking up garbage in the rear of buildings in the downtown area.
For those businesses and residential units with a lack of a rear area or the area is not accessible by the DPW, Muldoon said those owners will be identified and notified to place their garbage and recycling receptacles in the front of their building or on a side street.
The councilman said to address all the issues, the DPW is expanding collection schedule throughout the downtown district with garbage pickup four days a week — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and recycling pickup on Wednesday mornings.
“We have gotten a great response from businesses [on the expanded schedule],” he said.
Muldoon said the new policies and procedures do not apply to building and businesses that currently have private garbage collection and/or dumpsters.
He said building owners will be responsible for their tenants to comply with the new policies and procedures related to the garbage pickup.
“DPW will be responsible to identify violators,” Muldoon said.
He said the next step is to continue sharing with the downtown district the new policies and procedures.
“We will finalize the policy and prepare any revised ordinance for approval by the Borough Council and continue to work with the MDA and [Metuchen] Chamber [of Commerce] to distribute any communication to any businesses and building owners,” he said.
Muldoon said borough officials think the new policies and procedures are a win-win for the borough.
“[It will] be great for businesses with the frequent pickup [of garbage], we will have a cleaner, healthier and safer downtown,” he said.
Speaking about the downtown area, Mayor Peter Cammarano noted that the vacancies in the downtown are minimal.
“There have been six ribbon cuttings in the past month,” he said.
Leibfried said he hasn’t seen “so few vacancies” in his lifetime in Metuchen.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” he said.