Township redirects road funds to drainage

Nov, 18-2009 4:49 pm

By CHRISTIAN MANAHAN
Staff Writer

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP – The local governing body has decided to allocate $200,000 from this year's capital road program to address drainage issues that the municipality may encounter in the future.

Township Committee took formal action during its Nov. 9 meeting at Town Hall in Mays Landing.

Officials said the $200,000 came from the $390,000 remaining in this year's capital budget for roads. Deputy Mayor Roger Silva said because the township would not be conducting any road repairs and improvements for the remainder of the calendar year, it would be appropriate if a portion of the money dedicated to 2009 road projects were redirected to address drainage issues.

The money can only be spent on township-owned drainage basins, Township Administrator Ed Sasdelli said in an email Tuesday, Nov. 17.

The remaining $190,000 will go toward the 2010 road program.

Prior to the transfer, there was between $10,000 and $15,000 already dedicated to drainage basins.

Entering the 2010 budget process, addressing issues with its drainage basins will be one of the municipality's priorities, township officials said.

Sasdelli said the transfer of money from roads to drainage relates to the storm water management problems the township has been experiencing.

“Basins overflowing and flooded roadways if not corrected can freeze and cause traffic safety hazards,” he said.

The township has taken other action to address issues with its basins including adopting amendments to the land use ordinance in May that relate to storm water management.

Sasdelli said at the time that the ordinance gives the township leverage to hold future developers accountable for maintaining storm water basins after the performance guarantee expires. The township has also adopted state-mandated storm water regulations.

Nonetheless, the township has been experiencing problems with its drainage basins. Sasdelli said policies in place are adequate and being enforced; the problem is what the municipality encounters after the oversight period expires.

“We have a performance bond period in which we don’t release the money until the engineer inspects and certifies a basin is built to specs, and then a two-year maintenance bond to make sure it stays that way for two years,” Sasdelli said.

“After that period, the basin becomes the responsibility of the land owner and not the township. The challenge is what happens when these basins fail 10 years after they were built and the developer or builder is no longer in business or they’re owned by a homeowners’ association that does no maintenance. It’s not the taxpayers’ responsibility to fix privately owned basins.”

In September Township Committee asked Township Engineer Ed Walberg of Remington and Vernick Engineers for a cost estimate for conducting an inventory of township-owned drainage basins with the condition of each basin and possible improvements identified.

Walberg said that it would cost $25,000 to do the inventory. The township is yet to award that contract.

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