SAYREVILLE – Officials in Sayreville are looking to appropriate $800,000 toward various capital improvements throughout the borough.
On July 22, the Borough Council introduced a bond ordinance that will, if adopted, also authorize the issuance of $760,000 in bonds or notes to finance part of the costs of the improvements.
The remaining costs will be covered by a down payment of $40,000, according to the bond ordinance.
A public hearing on the bond ordinance is scheduled for Aug. 19. The council may adopt the bond ordinance that evening.
According to the bond ordinance, the capital improvements include, but are not limited to, improvements to the Sayreville Senior Center and the Sayreville Public Library, technology improvements and drainage improvements.
In other business, the governing body adopted a bond ordinance amending a previous bond ordinance from 2018 that appropriated $3 million for various road improvements in the borough and authorized the issuance of $2.85 million in bonds or notes to help cover the improvements’ costs. The amended ordinance increases the appropriation from $3 million to $3.575 million as a result of a $575,000 grant expected to be received from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Council members also voted 4-1 to table a bond ordinance intended to appropriate $750,000 towards various park improvements in Sayreville and authorize the issuance of $712,500 in bonds or notes to finance part of the appropriation, with $37,500 to cover the remaining costs.
Among the governing body, council members Kevin Dalina, Damon Enriquez, Victoria Kilpatrick and Dave McGill voted “yes” on tabling the bond ordinance. Councilwoman Mary Novak voted “no”.
The bond ordinance that appeared before the council stated that the improvements were to include, but were not limited to, upgrades to the ball field, surfacing of the Boehmhurst basketball court, replacement of the infield turf at Senior Field, installation of a rubber surface at the soccer complex, and other miscellaneous park improvements.
Discussion on tabling the bond ordinance ensued after McGill noted that other parks in the borough were in more need of improvements than Boehmurst.
“I’ve recently visited quite a few of the courts and fields that we have in Sayreville and I’m wondering why we would be doing Boehmhurst instead of fields like basketball courts in Kennedy Park that have much more need,” McGill said.
“I use Kennedy Park pretty often,” he said. “It’s a beautiful place and it’s taken care of the best it can be by the Sayreville park employees. But the basketball court’s falling apart. Something needs to be done for it. At times, this is a place that’s an ice skating rink. It’s time to improve it. It’s our big public park, it’s our centerpiece.”
In voting against tabling the bond ordinance, Novak said, “All of this was [already] discussed and these [parks] were chosen by the finance committee. What I’d like to see, and I’m only one vote, is that we approve this and then we adopt a second ordinance to do Kennedy Park so at least these projects could start.”
Ultimately, the majority of council members voted in favor of tabling the bond ordinance for further review and possible amendments towards the parks specified.