TD Bank has accepted North Bergen’s offer and to buy their former bank branch building at 4223-4229 Bergen Turnpike.
This past January, the township passed an ordinance to borrow $2.2 million to buy the building, which has been closed for banking operations since last year. Then the town began condemnation proceedings.
At the April 14 North Bergen Commissioners’ meeting, a resolution was passed to allow the township to purchase the property, since TD Bank has agreed to their $2.2 million appraisal for the property and has agreed to sell it rather than undergo eminent domain proceedings.
“The engineering looks to me to be all wrong.” – Herbert Shaw
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North Bergen hopes to renovate the location and move their municipal court and parking authority there.
Town Administrator Christopher Pianese said that architects would enter the building on April 15 to begin drafting plans.
While the renovation takes place, the building’s second floor tenant, a CPA firm, would be allowed to stay in the building. Pianese said they are currently negotiating relocation fees with the tenant.
He hopes that renovations will be completed in 2011 and that the building will be fully operational by 2012.
Sewage plant to close in near future
In other news, North Bergen soon expects to close the township municipal utility authority’s Central Treatment Plant on West Side Avenue, a project that has been in the works for several years.
After the federal Environmental Protection Agency informed North Bergen officials eight years ago that the township needed a new sewage treatment plant, they decided it would be financially prudent to instead construct a sewage pipeline from North Bergen to the existing Jersey City lines, which pumps their sewage to the Passaic Valley Sewage Commission’s (PVSC) plant in Newark, one of the largest in the country.
In 2006, North Bergen entered into an $8 million start up contract with the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority to process sewage, and issued $20 million in construction contracts to build the pipelines.
Pianese said it would have cost around $100 million to build a new facility. Instead, the treatment plant will be turned into a pumping station at a cost of approximately $30 million.
The Jersey City MUA has similar contracts with Kearny, Bayonne and Union City.
North Bergen will pump up to eight million gallons per day through the Jersey City lines. Service charges will rise by five percent every year, from roughly $306,000 escalating to $988,000 over the 25-year deal.
At the commissioner’s meeting, an ordinance was passed on terms the PVSC requires.
Pianese said that he hopes the project is operational by July 1, 2010.
“It has taken longer than we thought it would, but it seems that everything that you do takes longer than you think it is going to,” said Sacco, who was glad North Bergen would soon be out of the sewage treatment business.
Township content with audit
Pianese said that the township has received its annual financial audit and was content that it made only minor suggestions. One recommendation was that certain grant funds received years ago weren’t being used because of missing paperwork. He said that they have already begun work to correct this.
Complaints on Tonnelle Avenue and raw sewage
During the public portion, North Bergen resident and school board candidate Herbert Shaw complained about construction underway on Tonnelle Avenue. The state has been working on widening the roadway for several years.
“The engineering looks to me to be all wrong,” said Shaw.
Sacco said that he could not control the work being done.
Shaw also said that he asked the North Bergen Municipal Utilities Authority how much raw sewage they were forced to dump during the month of March due to the amount of rain, but that they said they did not keep a record of that.
Sacco said that he would look into the matter.
Work on field to start
Pianese said the township has received almost $1 million in Green Acres funding from the state of New Jersey, which will allow them to refurbish the Bruins Stadium, located within James J. Braddock Park.
The field is used for soccer and football by permit only, including by North Bergen High School.
The $967,092 contract was awarded to Tec-Con Contractors, located in East Orange.
In addition to new artificial turf being put down, new sidewalks, gates, soccer and football goals, benches, lighting, a scoreboard, and landscaping will be installed, among other renovations.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.