Township Committee Approves $1.6 Million In Capital Improvements

The township committee voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance that would appropriate $1.6 million dollars towards town-wide capital improvements at a meeting on July 27.

The ordinance also calls for the township to issue $1,565, 790 in bonds as a means to help fund the improvements. According to mayor Jim Sandham, these capital improvements were included the township's recently passed budget.

The committee also adopted ordinances for water and sewer improvements, costing $333,000 and $277,500, respectively. Bonds for these improvements, set for $233,000 and $152,000 will also be issued.

Of all the capital improvements planned under the ordinance, the most expensive are the improvements in the engineering departments. According to documents released at the meeting, the engineering projects, which include road resurfacing, curb repair, drainage projects, repairs to Changebridge Road sidewalks and repairs to the Camp Dawson dam, are estimated to cost $945,000, with $897,750 in bonds and notes to be issued.

The recreation department improvements, which are to include additions to Dawson park, code locks for the community park field house, and improvements to the turf fields at Camp Dawson and the community park, is estimated to cost $133,500. $126,825 in bonds and notes are set to be issued.

Other improvements include the acquisition of a telephone-recording device for the police department, with estimated costs of $35,000, a new vehicle for the land use department, estimated to cost $20,000 and various facilities improvements, estimated to cost $65,000.

According to town documents, the estimated period of usefulness for all improvements in total is just over 10 years.

The township committee's next meeting is scheduled for August 10.