MARLBORO – The township has received $120,370 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for
the resurfacing of Peasley Drive in the Greenbriar adult community off Robertsville Road, Marlboro.
The award was announced by the Monmouth County Office of Community Development in a letter to Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik dated May 6, 2019, according to a press release from the township.
“We constantly strive to identify alternate sources of funding for critical needs and road
improvements are a top priority,” Hornik said. “I am very pleased to report this
most recent grant award, one which will allow us to leverage municipal resources to
cover even more roads.”
According to the press release, the township recently completed drainage work on Peasley Drive in Greenbriar as part of a road repair initiative announced by Hornik earlier in 2019, the components of which include:
• $5 million for local road repair and reconstruction as a part of the 2019 capital plan;
• Ongoing communication with the county and state to address roads that are not under local jurisdiction;
• Launch of a road repair website section to update and inform residents about road
repair process and status;
• A redesigned online pothole portal which facilitates a more efficient response to residents’ reports of roads in need of repair.
Municipal officials appropriated $5 million for road improvements as part of Marlboro’s 2018 capital program, totaling $10 million over two years. That amount represents more than twice the historical average for road improvements, according to the press release.
“Extreme weather continues to take a significant toll on our roads and infrastructure and
the work absolutely needs to get done,” Hornik said. “But with a price tag averaging $500,000 to reconstruct one mile of road and more than 200 miles of township roads across 32.5 square miles, it is an understandably slow and frustrating process.
“In order to meet the need, the township will continue to leverage its AAA bond
rating to obtain funding at the lowest rates possible, and aggressively pursue outside
sources of funding for road improvements,” he said.
Federal monies through the CDBG program sponsored by HUD are made available in
federal census districts with a majority of residents classified as low to moderate income, according to the press release.
The only census district that currently qualifies for this CDBG funding is the area
encompassing the Greenbriar adult community off Robertsville Road. CDBG funding is
allocated to Monmouth County and awarded through a competitive process undertaken
by the Monmouth County Office of Community Development, municipal officials said.