HOWELL – A project that will result in the construction of a sanitary sewer system in the Freewood Acres neighborhood off Route 9 in Howell is underway.
Howell Mayor Theresa Berger, Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro, Councilwoman Evelyn O’Donnell, Township Manager Brian Geoghegan and Director of Community Development Jim Herrman were among those who gathered in the area of West 6th Street on Oct. 9 to mark the official start of the project.
When the homes in Freewood Acres were constructed decades ago, septic systems were permitted on small lots in the residential development. Howell officials have discussed replacing the septic systems with a sewer system for many years.
“I actually found plans for this job (from) 1988. The entire job was designed in 1988,” Herrman said, adding that the project that will be built now is almost the same as the project that was designed 30 years ago.
The need for the project at that time “was mostly attributed to contaminated drinking water wells. It looks like the township went through the entire process … to get approval,” Herrman said.
Berger asked why the project did not advance and Herrman replied, “politics.”
By 2013, residents in Freewood Acres were complaining about odors and Herrman said those issues restarted the process. He said health officials determined the old septic systems were failing.
Herrman said as members of the Howell Township Council began to examine the costs of installing a sewer system, a study from the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority (BTMUA) revealed Howell had the most contaminated sub-basin of the Metedeconk River because of the septic systems in Freewood Acres.
“Unbeknownst to us, the BTMUA was already working on a global report for the watershed and in that report … they identified that the most contaminated sub-basin in the Metedeconk River was this sub-basin right here, and the highest nutrient loads, fecal coliform, phosphorus and nitrogen were from failed septic systems coming from Freewood Acres,” Herrman said.
The project picked up steam in 2015 and Maser Consulting’s design fee was approximately $800,000, he said.
“We got it all through, we are getting low interest funding through the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust (NJEIT) and there is talk of principal forgiveness. That is one of the main reasons why we decided to pursue this and not go for our own funding separately. We are at the finish line now,” Herrman said.
An $11.3 million construction contract for the Freewood Acres sewer system was awarded to Lucas Brothers.
“These gentlemen (Lucas Brothers) are going to spend the next 18 months to two years installing sewers in Freewood Acres. They are going to install (a sewer system) on Route 9 from West Farms Road to Casino Drive, which will hopefully improve the quality of the businesses in that area and potentially redevelop some of that area. We are also talking about potential redevelopment in Freewood Acres itself, especially along Route 9. We have numerous businesses that are looking to expand that can’t because of the septic problem,” Herrman said.
Berger said she thinks it is a shame the sewer project took this long to come to fruition.
“Hopefully the people who live in the area understand politics does suck sometimes, but I think jointly we all agree this is a great project for the town, especially the people who live in this area,” Berger said.
Nicastro said he did not know if politics was the right word to describe the situation.
“Timing is important in a lot of things, (like) funding. As Jim (Herrman) noted, this is one of the biggest funding projects we have undertaken in Howell. It would not be right if we did not recognize state Sen. (Robert) Singer, who played a role with the NJEIT and getting low interest loans and hopefully some for forgiveness as well,” Nicastro said.
Nicastro said the sewer project is right for Howell and said he is proud to be part of it.
O’Donnell said the project will address several issues, “but most importantly it will help keep our residents safe.”
Earlier this year, the Township Council adopted ordinances to finance the construction of the sanitary sewer mains. Sewers will be installed in Freewood Acres on the east (northbound) and west (southbound) sides of Route 9 between Interstate 195 and Sunnyside Road. The ordinance appropriated $9.26 million for the work. A second ordinance authorized the construction of sanitary sewer mains and laterals to serve properties on Route 9 northbound between West Farms Road and Casino Drive. The ordinance appropriated $3.45 million for the work.