COUNICIL MEETING #3, THAT IS IT

The end of the work week,and we come to he end of notes about the proposed agenda for this coming Monday night.

There will be a resolution awarding a contract to "the City Engineers" Remington & Vernick for up to $88,725.00 for the reconstruction of Watchung Ave from 7th St. to Kensington. When noted that last month a contract had been awarded for that project,it was explained that this was for the needed engineering plans and supervision for the construction.

In my humble! opinion this is not having the cart before the horse, although how can a contractor bid on a job that the specifications are not known? Rather i would compare it to a dog chasing its tail. The award is two faced, preconstruction workup that the contractor needed and the supervision of the job.

Another resolution will authorize the release of the performance bond and acceptance of the maintenance bond for the New Jersey American Water Company 2008 cleaning and relining program.

In response to the question about the state of the intersection of Park and Seventh it was noted that both were County Roads,although I do believe that from somewheres near the High School north Park has been the City's responsibility. Certainly that portion of the intersection belongs to the city.

Also in response to a Councilor's question if the water company's closure of cuts in the road returned the road to prework standards, the Director of Public Works stated he was satisfied. He added that cuts made by other contractor's were not the water company's responsibility.

That is true, but (1) why were not the ordinances regarding such cuts not enforced?, and (2) I do find the numerous lateral cuts the water company made on Watchung, the one street involved in the project that I frequently travel do not smoothly join the existing roadway. If there are any in the involved repavement area it will not matter because we taxpayers are fixing the road.

In a discussion earlier in the meeting Public Works Director Brown noted the roads that are listed in the final portion of the 2005 master repair plan for its third year(now called "phase") are finally going to be fixed this year. His list of streets are all secondary or tertiary roads and do need repavement. However, except for a good section of Watchung Ave. none of the city's arterial streets are on the horizon.

He also noted that the work will be done by Thanksgiving. I heard a similar statement several years ago about Kensington Ave from Dasheild when I questioned the advisability of starting a repavement late in the fall. There is a temperature red line after which asphalt will not cure or can be properly worked with. Just as we had a unusual hot spring we could again have an early cold fall. We could have a repeat of the Kensington Ave fiasco.

Among the Ordinances up for first reading is one changing the North Ave redevelopment plan to one adapting existing buildings for conversion rather then having to have to tear them down for new construction. If this will require where there is new construction to have facades that will match the historic buildings in the area it is a must.