ENGINEERING DIVISION MONTHLY REPORT
MARCH 2023

 

Charles Carbone, P.E., Supervising Engineering Aide

 

BUBBLING SPRINGS PARK

The preliminary design was discussed with the Director of Community Services & Recreation and DPW staff in an effort to coordinate future projects at the site.  The Passaic County Open Space grant award for ADA parking and seating near the athletic fields was discussed and reviewed.  A professional services contract was awarded to continue the design and prepare construction documents.  Technical assistance is anticipated to be provided in April as part of the annual post-winter maintenance of the recreation site.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FY2023

The Passaic County Department of Planning and Economic Development Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) FY2023 application was submitted to the Passaic County grant administrators prior to the March 3, 2023 deadline.  The grant application, including resolutions of Governing Body support, was submitted for a proposed project to include barrier-free access and A.D.A. retrofit improvements to the Bubbling Springs Park Restroom Facility.  The existing restroom facility is intended to be retrofit to provide A.D.A. compliant fixtures and access as part of the grant application.

2023 IN-HOUSE TOWNSHIP DRAINAGE PROJECTS

Drainage projects, compiled utilizing available records and project information, were itemized for in-house construction.  The various stages of the projects were reviewed and updated as needed.  New anticipated projects were added to the list and provided to DPW and Engineering staff to be completed as schedules allow.  The project list intends to maintain a rolling list of possible projects with the latest available information.  Seven various projects throughout the Township required preliminary Engineering field work as part of the design or investigation.

MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM (MS4)

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection enhanced the requirements of stormwater related items for Tier ‘A’ municipalities, such as West Milford.  Though some items have delayed implementation schedules, a majority of items require compliance beginning in 2023.  The Township has utilized consultant services to identify needs and requirements of the stormwater regulations in the past.  A meeting was held with the consultant to identify future needs and scheduling for compliance timeliness.  A revised proposal is anticipated in April.  As part of the 2023 annual report for 2022 activities, Engineering responsive records were compiled prior to the April 10th deadline.

LOT DEVELOPMENT PLAN REVIEW

Six (6) initial, single-family, residential lot development plans were reviewed for compliance with Section 110-4 of the Township Code and any applicable Board resolutions.  Two (2) as-built / final plans were reviewed, inspected and processed as needed.  All lot development plan review results are entered into the “Spatial Data Logic” system.  The results are also posted for public consumption within the Engineering Division section of the Township’s website (www.westmilford.org) under the Site Plan Tracker.

PASSAIC COUNTY ROADS – ROAD SIGNS

A report was provided to the Township Administrator and forwarded to the Passaic County Engineering Department identifying missing or incorrect regulatory and warning signs on a Passaic County roadway.  The Township is responsible for the maintenance of regulatory signs and the County is responsible for maintenance of warning signs for Passaic County roads.

2022-2023 SNOW PLOWING SERVICES

Documentation regarding in-house winter services were received from Department of Public Works staff and recorded as needed.  The Department of Public Works is responsible for snow and ice removal on all 190+ miles of Township, non-Township and private roads within West Milford.  The Township utilizes five subcontractors (39 trucks and drivers) for the 2022-2023 winter season.  One report was provided for a winter event in February after all documentation was received and compiled.  The final two storms and a year-end report for in-house maintenance events will be provided once all data is compiled.

TOWNSHIP ANNEX PROJECT

A preconstruction meeting was held on March 9, 2023 with the Contractor and pertinent Township staff and consultants.  The Contractor indicated work can begin after ongoing remediation work at the site is completed (anticipated April).  Other projects anticipated at the site will be coordinated with the renovation work in order to allow all work to be completed efficiently.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Technical assistance, regarding lot development plans, storm drainage issues, active construction projects, flood zones, right-of-way issues, etc. were provided to concerned residents on 35 occasions.  Field inspections, photographs, reports and/or follow up were required for 3 of these issues.
  • Technical assistance was provided, for various issues, to other departments on 90 occasions.
  • File research, map copies and/or information was provided to professionals on 11 occasions.
  • Assistance was provided to builders, contractors and utilities on 5 occasions.
  • One Right of Way Entry Permit Application was received, processed, and returned to the Clerk’s office.
  • Seven OPRA requests were responded to.
  • Three Board of Adjustment applications were reviewed.
  • One Planning Board application was reviewed.
  • Two meetings with the Township Administrator were attended.
  • One Joint Environmental Remediation Committee meeting was attended.
  • Three on-site meetings attended with Engineering staff to discuss residential drainage concerns.
  • A webinar was attended for the DPW work order system.
  • NJDEP Green Acres was contacted as part of a follow up response regarding a portion of Green Acres property in order to determine its current status.
  • CDBG Grant Administrators were contacted regarding the 2021 application as a result of unforeseen conditions postponing the project.
  • File records for Village on Ridge (Sections 1 and 2) were reviewed and the Township Engineer consulted regarding a path of action for future work.
  • Technical assistance was provided to the Township Attorney regarding a possible property sale.
  • Two private soil movements were discussed with the Zoning Officer in order to determine the best approach for evaluating possible permit requirements.
  • One tree removal permit was issued as part of a Zoning Board application approval.
  • Passaic County officials were contacted regarding emergency county culvert repairs.
  • A request for 20 Township street maps was received and the updates to the map for the current year are being completed prior to the production of the maps.
  • A webinar was attended by Engineering Staff “Compliance to the Americans with Disabilities Act  in the Public Right of Way.”
  • A webinar on “Office Safety” was attended.
  • A webinar “Design of ADA curb ramps and pedestrian access routes” was attended by Engineering Staff.
  • A department head meeting was attended.
  • At the request of the Township Administrator a field distance was measured between 2 proposed cannabis locations.

 

CAPITAL PROJECTS

 

ROAD ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – HANOVER, ALPINE, ET AL

The Hanover, Alpine, Princeton, Lyons and Beverly Road Improvement Project design continued.  Field confirmations of conditions began as weather allowed in March and are anticipated to be completed in early April, weather permitting, in order to move forward with the project.  Existing conditions and plan sheets were designed and printed in order to confirm the field conditions.  The design of the proposed road assessment project has continued and will aim to move to the next phase of the project (plan review by the consultant Township Engineer) in the near future.  The proposed project intends to improve, through special assessment charged to the potentially benefiting property owners, Hanover Road, Alpine Court, Princeton Road (portion), Lyons Road (portion), and Beverly Court.  These dirt/gravel roads were accepted by ordinance in the summer of 2019.  A special assessment ordinance was approved by the Governing Body in April 2022 at a Town Council meeting to award the funding for this project.

2022 TOWNSHIP ROAD RESURFACING – Gould Road, Van Orden Road

The Contractor was contacted regarding remaining minor work, repair work and payment procedures for the remainder of the project.  Weather sensitive restoration work, such as grass seed spreading, is anticipated to be completed in the spring in order to close out the project construction items.  The resurfacing project accounted for the repaving of 1.8-miles of Township roads.

2023 TOWNSHIP ROAD RESURFACING

A list of roads intended to be resurfaced utilizing the anticipated funding proposed for 2023 was provided to the Township Administrator and Department of Finance.  Field work for the estimated proposed road list will begin once funding is available for the program.  The Department of Public Works was provided the list of roads previously in order to begin maintenance of the roadways when weather allows.

UNION VALLEY ROAD, GREENWOOD LAKE TURNPIKE, LAKESIDE ROAD, & STAINSBY ROAD – TRAFFIC SIGNAL

As part of the ongoing work to move forward with the proposed traffic signal project at the Union Valley Road, Greenwood Lake Turnpike, Lakeside Road and Stainsby Road intersection, the title company was contacted regarding opinions of the right-of-ways of certain lots conflicting with the available information and possible designs.  The titles were resubmitted to the consultant traffic engineer’s surveyor to review and identify the extents of the property limits in order to move ahead with final design.