Council unanimously voted to approve two ordinances that will allocate $2.5 million to two water treatment plants.
Moorestown Township Council unanimously voted to approve two ordinances that will allocate $2.5 million, approximately $2.4 million of which will come from bonds or notes, to two water treatment plants — North Church Street and Hartford Road.
The first ordinance approved spending $1.5 million on preliminary engineer and design expenses for upgrades to the North Church Street plant, and the second approved spending approximately $1.05 million on upgrades to the Hartford Road plant.
Township utilities engineer L. Russell Trice says the township considered closing the North Church Street plant and doubling the capacity at the Hartford Road plant, but there were too many limitations and unknowns, such as the time it would take to complete that project.
“When you take into consideration design, permitting, construction…you really don’t have that much time to get everything in the works,” Trice said.
Permanent solutions to the North Church Street plant will include a carbon filtration system, which is what the township is using as a temporary solution. Trice says the township plans to reuse the carbon filters already in place. The filters will treat for trichloropropane (TCP) and trichloroethylene (TCE).
The township will use WRT — a company that specializes in “cost effective and environmentally sound containment removal” — to treat the water for radiological elements, and a hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet treatment for dioxins. Upgrades to the Hartford Road plant will also be necessary.
Council also approved a change order for $3,657 to install a carbon filter and radium removal system at the North Church Street plant and a change order for $40,478 to be used for improvements to the Kings Highway water treatment plant.
In other news:
• Council passed a resolution that will allow for the transfer of a Humvee to the Moorestown Police Department through the U.S. Department of Defense Law Enforcement Support Office 1033 program at no cost. Councilwoman Lisa Petriello was the only councilperson to vote against the resolution, saying she doesn’t see the need for an armored military vehicle in Moorestown.
The 12,000-pound vehicle can be used to drive through snow and large amounts of water and can be used in an emergency such as an active shooter. The Humvee will replace a police van and will be painted as a police vehicle.
Police Chief Lee Lieber says he hopes the vehicle stays safely stowed away until his retirement, but he feels it’s a valuable and cost-effective opportunity for the township to have as a precautionary item.
Councilwoman Victoria Napolitano agreed.
“We would like to think we would never use this vehicle. Probably we never will,” Napolitano said. “But we have to prepare for the world we live in, not the one we want to live in.”
Residents’ concerns included creating an “us versus them” mentality and the imagery of a military-style vehicle.
• Council passed a resolution to use competitive contracting to procure a public relations and communications consultant. A main reason council felt the need to hire a consultant was to effectively distribute information about water issues, according to Mayor Manny Delgado. Delgado added that from what he’s gathered from other townships, the consultant could cost anywhere from $9,000 to $35,000 per year.
Petriello was once again the only councilperson to vote against the resolution. Petriello believes council already has the tools, such as Facebook and the township website, to relay information to the public, they just haven’t been used effectively.
A few residents presented concerns such as cost, the opportunity to push a political agenda and overlooking the option of hiring a resident as opposed to outsourcing the job.
• The next Township Council meeting will be held on Monday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
