16 resolutions passed, snow removal discussed as well
The Monroe Township landfill was a topic of discussion at the latest council meeting.
Township engineer Kathryn Cornforth led the discussion.
“Back in the ’80s when you stopped with the disposal of trash at the landfill site, according to the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection), technically the landfill was never properly closed from a paperwork standpoint,” she said.
According to Cornforth, the township has all of the paperwork and permits in place to have the landfill officially closed.
“To help offset the cost, we started pursuing a grant through HSDRF (Hazardous Site Discharge Remediation Fund),” she said. “If you designate the property redevelopment and have a solar purveyor, they will give you a 75 percent grant, 25 percent township match to help offset the cost.”
The next step is a Feb. 14 presentation to the planning board to propose the landfill as an area in need of redevelopment. Assuming the move is approved, the following step is for council to approve it.
“We hope to have all of that approved in April or May so we can go out to RFP (request for proposals) to have a solar purveyor in hand and on site in June,” Cornforth said. “Once we have that, we go back to the funding source. It’s the last step we need for them to be able to distribute the funds so we can properly close the landfill.”
In other news:
- Mayor Rich DiLucia spoke about snow removal in town.
“I’d like to thank the people that are responsible this weekend for snow removal. I’d like to particularly point out that the public works department really went out there, they had 12 or 13 vehicles moving snow and ice. The MUA had four or five vehicles moving snow. I only had one complaint this morning from the whole town, somebody missed their street. I think that’s pretty good when you talk about 38 square miles and we only missed one street,” DiLucia said.
Council President Ron Garboski added, “That’s a team effort,”
- Council passed 16 resolutions, including awarding a contract to Adams, Rehman & Heggan Associates, Inc. for landfill compliance monitoring; placing liens on three properties for the grass/weed cutting; appointing James DeHart III, lieutenant, as the JIF safety coordinator for the Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland counties Municipal Joint Insurance Fund; appointing Jill McCrewa as fund commissioner for the Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland counties Municipal Joint Insurance Fund, and awarding A.C. Schultes, Inc. the contract to construct an irrigation well at Owens Park.
- The next council meeting will be Jan. 28 with a work session at 7 p.m. and the regular meeting at 8 p.m. Both sessions are open to the public and take place at the municipal building.
