MARLBORO – The Township Council has appropriated $7.85 million to fund numerous capital improvements in Marlboro.
Township Council President Randi Marder, Councilman Jeff Cantor, Councilman Michael Scalea, Councilman Scott Metzger and Councilwoman Carol Mazzola voted Feb. 15 to adopt the ordinance. No one from the public commented on the ordinance.
The ordinance states that $7.45 million will be issued in bonds or notes, with the remaining $400,000 in down payments having been made from an emergency temporary appropriation that was adopted prior to the adoption of the bond ordinance.
The capital projects authorized include appropriations of $4.44 million for a road improvement program, including street improvements and the resurfacing of various streets, and the Greenbriar adult community paving program; $539,284 for the Willow Brook streambank stabilization and related Pleasant Valley paving; $183,000 for drainage improvement projects; $30,600 for improvements to the Union Hill Road bus shelter; $239,700 for the acquisition of an ambulance; $260,400 for the acquisition of equipment for the Marlboro Police Department; $286,314 for the acquisition of vehicles for the Department of Public Works; and $524,958 for improvements to recreation facilities and for recreation equipment.
Commenting prior to the council’s vote, Mayor Jonathan Hornik said, “We are using our AAA bond rating to improve our infrastructure. This is our time to reinvest in our infrastructure.”
In a memo to Hornik, Business Administrator Jonathan Capp wrote, “Expressed as a percent of the total operating budget, budgeted debt service levels remain below 2003 levels. As of Dec. 31, 2017, the township’s net debt outstanding remains at less than 20 percent of the borrowing limit established by the state.”
In regard to the road improvement program, Hornik has announced an initiative that will include:
• Ongoing communication with Monmouth County and state officials to address the condition of roads that are not under Marlboro’s jurisdiction;
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• The launch of a road repair section on the municipal website to update and inform residents about the road repair process and status;
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• A redesigned online Pothole Portal which facilitates a more efficient response to residents’ reports of roads they believe are in need of repair.
Officials said 29 miles of local streets have been repaved in Marlboro since 2009. That does not include many of Marlboro’s busiest roads and intersections such as Route 9, Route 520, Route 79 and Tennent Road (Route 3), which are under the jurisdiction of the state or the county.