By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Haddonfield Sun
The borough commissioners received some bad news last week as bid packages for three road projects in Haddonfield came in well over engineering estimates. Projects for Woodland Avenue, Tanner Street and Centre Street all came in over estimated costs, Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough said, and all will have to be rebid.
McCullough reported that the bid for the Woodland Avenue project came in more than $130,000 than borough engineering estimates. Resident Ron Higman — a prominent figure at the last few commissioner meetings — expressed his frustrations that the project would most likely not be completed by the end of this year.
The entire project is scheduled to cost more than $1.2 million, McCullough said. It’s not just a simple repaving, but a complete reconstruction of the aged street, with the replacement of utility pipes — water and sewage — necessary before the roadway can receive a new asphalt overlay.
It’s expected to take about five months to complete after the contracts are awarded, she said.
Higman was not pleased when it was revealed the work would likely not start until August. The Woodland Avenue resident said he has been waiting more than 20 years for street to be repaired and repaved.
“So what you’re telling me is this won’t be finished by this year,” he said.
The commissioners could possibly award a contract for the road work at the next commissioner meeting, which is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, July 27. Higman urged the commissioners to schedule a special meeting after the packages are received to award the contract. Right now the commissioners only meet once a month during their summer schedule.
Commissioners Jeff Kasko and Ed Borden both said it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that a special meeting could be arranged.
Woodland Avenue is not the only project to be delayed. Bid packages for Tanner Street and Center Street came in higher than expected as well, McCullough said. Making the process more complicated, Mayor Tish Colombi said the state is pressuring the borough to complete the Tanner Street project first.
Colombi revealed that several years ago a sewage pipe was found to be in disrepair under Tanner and had been leaking material into the borough’s storm water system. The contaminants flowed into Hopkins Pond, polluting the waterway. If something like that happens again, the borough could face a hefty fine from the state, she said.
Centre Street — which needs the same type of utility and asphalt overlay repair as Woodland Avenue — also had its bid packages come in too high, McCullough said.
The next step is to go out to rebid for all three projects and see if they can be modified to bring the prices down, she said.
