Street improvement costs are set to total $1.75 million — an increase of $600,000 from last year.
Evesham Township has released information regarding this year’s proposed capital improvement and roads budget, which totals about $4.75 million.
Broken down by category, $1.75 million is for street improvements, $945,000 is for vehicles and operating equipment, $810,000 is for facilities (buildings and parks) improvements, $580,000 is for the township’s vacant properties program, $240,000 is for small maintenance equipment, $175,000 is for pedestrian improvements, $165,000 is for technology and $80,000 is for stormwater drainage improvements.
According to township manager Tom Czerniecki, the investments are projected to leave the township with $3.9 million in debt service in 2017, which is level with past years of $3.97 million in 2016 and $3.98 million in 2015.
“A mark of good financial management is having level debt service,” Czerniecki said.
Czerniecki said the township is proposing to increase road improvements by $600,000 from the previous year’s budget.
Czerniecki said he’s recommending the township continue to follow its scheduled repair plan, which would next include Bon Air Drive, Peabody Lane, Shelbourne Drive, Wellington Drive, Walford Road, Hardwood Road, Sutten Court, Sedgwick Lane, Windsor Lane, Wessex Place and portions of Kettle Run Road.
According to Czerniecki, the Evesham Municipal Utilities Authority also has upcoming plans to conduct work along Knox Boulevard, and while that road is not on the list of roads for the township’s 2017 improvement budget, the MUA will still handle repaving work once it has completed its other work.
With the township undertaking a study to potentially dissolve the MUA last year, Czerniecki said he believes many cooperative opportunities, such as the work on Knox Boulevard, have come as a result.
Czerniecki said he would also like the township to allocate money to micro-surface any roads that were repaved within the last 10 years to help extend the life of those roads.
“Our concern is they’re already starting to show some signs of wear and it’s a fifth of the cost,” Czerniecki said.
According to Czerniecki, the township would preferably choose a road where recreational activities such as basketball, bike riding or skating don’t occur to demonstrate the merits of the micro-surfacing process.
“The product gets there (flat) through wear,” Czerniecki said.
The township’s website, www.evesham-nj.org, has a color-coded map outlining the severity of repairs needed for the roads in town.
According to Czerniecki, the township also expects the road projects approved under the 2016 plan to begin construction soon with the spring weather.
