Bridge Projects Advance in Upper, Night Work Will Mean Full Detour

PETERSBURG – Upper Township Committee met May 9 and passed a resolution with related certification regarding the 2015 municipal audit that was found to be in compliance by the state Local Finance Board. 
“We received no recommendations for improvement and only a few minor suggestions regarding our finances so we are very pleased,” said Committee member John Coggins.
Engineer Paul Dietrich reported on two “major changes” regarding the township’s bridge projects underway. “For the new Route 50 Bridge in Tuckahoe, there will be a full detour from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the evenings of May 16, 17 and 18. This will allow for the setting of new beams for the new structure. On the new construction of the Garden State Parkway bridge at Somers Point and Beesley’s Point, there will be paving on the Somers Point side and lane shifting from the lower part of the bridge and opening of two lanes from one lane which has been vexing morning commuters. This activity will take place during the night as work continues,” Dietrich explained.
Dietrich floated the idea of a new ordinance to ban smoking at the township’s recreational facilities including playgrounds and sports fields.
“I’d rather if we do something that’s an amendment to an existing ordinance and not something that changes the municipal law but that then proves meaningless and can’t be enforced,” responded Mayor Richard Palombo. “There should be a state law on this too and maybe funding so that we can include historical sites. Overall it makes sense to ban smoking but we have to think how to go about it,” he continued.
Dietrich gave a stormwater report mentioning that under state Department of Environmental Protection regulations and the federal Clean Water Act, the township must monitor and inspect all drainage facilities within the municipality.
“The rule is that 72 hours after a major rainfall the basin should be drained and we take a lot of proactive measures to ensure compliance such as continually cleaning up the debris that accumulates, checking filters and skimming water from the basins,” Dietrich said. “There is now a new requirement being implemented, that of ‘affirmative action’ whereby we need to inspect those drainage facilities that are privately maintained such as at the Marmora Shopping Center, Cedar Square Shopping Center and various CVS locations. This new regulation will be coming into force over the next three years”, he said.
Committee agreed to table two requests under New Business to use township facilities for sporting events, one for “War at the Shore” girls’ basketball tournament June 25-26 at the Community Center gym and the other by Corrigan Sports Enterprises to stage a boys’ lacrosse tournament July 14-16, 2017 at Amanda’s Field.
“There are so many variables here that are still not known I recommend that this information is gathered before you decide,” advised township Solicitor Daniel Young. “For example, both these time frames are at the height of summer traffic so organizers will need to provide paid safety personnel to direct traffic and parking and there should be deposits for cleaning and maintenance since both are outside organizations,” he added.
During the public comment portion, resident Nathalie Niess asked about the safety of the B.L. England plant, both under routine as well as emergency situations.
“We don’t get involved in the day-to-day inspection and maintenance of that facility, that’s way bigger than what we can do and there are all kinds of layers of inspection from NJDEP and other agencies. For catastrophic or emergency conditions, both we and the county have coordinated plans for response among our fire departments, the Coast Guard and hazmat (hazardous material) personnel who drill regularly,” he said.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.