Princeton is “spending money” through a bond ordinance, which is expected to benefit multiple municipal departments.
“We are spending money as we should on all of our different departments because we need to run the town,” Mayor Mark Freda said.
The Princeton Council approved a $15 million bond ordinance following a public hearing at its June 27 meeting that includes money for road improvement projects and for the purchase of assorted equipment for several municipal departments.
The bond ordinance will benefit a range of departments from the police department and the health department to the engineering department and the Department of Public Works, Freda said.
Nearly one-third of the bond ordinance, or $5 million, will be spent on the Witherspoon Street improvement project that begins at the intersection of Nassau Street and Witherspoon Street. This includes a $625,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
The bond ordinance also includes $2 million that will be used to pay for various road resurfacing and pavement restoration work on streets throughout the town, as well as local road improvements. There is an additional $455,000 set aside for bikeway and pedestrian path improvements.
The ordinance allocates $99,000 for general park maintenance, including baseball field improvements, turf maintenance, an irrigation system at Smoyer Park and the replacement of heaters in the park restrooms and storage areas.
There is $96,000 in the ordinance to buy a mower for the parks and fields, an over-seeder attachment, a large tractor, and trash cans and recycling cans for the municipal parks.
The bond ordinance also earmarks $353,000 to remove ash trees or for their treatment, and $51,000 for shade tree plantings throughout the town.
Security cameras will be installed at several locations, including Witherspoon Hall (the Princeton Municipal Building), the Department of Public Works garage on Harrison Street and the Spring Street municipal public parking garage.
There is $1.2 million in the ordinance to pay for a dump truck with snowplow and sander attachments, and a compactor truck and a mechanic’s truck.
For $154,500, officials will purchase two sport utility vehicles – one for the fire inspector and one for the health department – and a high-water vehicle that can be used when roads are flooded.
The bond ordinance earmarks $52,500 for the purchase of pagers, portable radios and a self-contained breathing apparatus cylinder for the Princeton Fire Department. Laptop computers will be purchased for $20,500.
At the Princeton Police Department, $52,500 has been allocated to pay for lights, sirens and other equipment for the patrol cars and for the purchase of bulletproof vests. An additional $28,000 will be used to repair or replace guns for police officers.