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Vol. LXIV, No. 4
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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Vol. LXIV, No. 4
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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Wastewater management plans and approval of a resolution prior to the purchase of land for “passive recreation” were highlights of Monday evening’s Township Committee Meeting.
Approval of a proposed Wastewater Management Plan (WMP) was deferred in order to receive input from the Princeton Environmental Commission (PEC), the Stonybrook-Millstone Watershed Association, Friends of Princeton Open Space, and other interested parties.
A resolution for updating the Township’s 20-year-old WMPB had been passed on June 22. It provided for inclusion of all areas on the current WMP and any areas with sewer lines within the street; all portions of a lot if already developed; and all school properties. It also called for the designation of an area in public parks that may have or require a comfort facility; an indication of all trunk lines and pump stations that are outside the designated sewer area; the inclusion of sites that have an approved subdivision or site plan and were in the previous sewer service area; and the inclusion of areas with existing and potential septic system problems.
Stonybrook-Millstone Watershed Association Policy Director Jennifer Coffee spoke at length about wastewater management concerns, asking for a better definition of “environmentally sensitive areas.” Friends of Princeton Open Space President Wendy Mager similarly suggested the need for a discussion of “what belongs in, and does not belong in the new plan. What precise parts of the Ridge have wetlands or are in danger is open to discussion,” she noted. Reporting that the PEC “has many questions about what this means, particularly for the Ridge,” Chair Wendy Kaczerski echoed these concerns.
Mayor Bernie Miller charged Planning Director Lee Solow with coordinating the effort to obtain feedback and making recommendations for an updated WMP to Township Committee by February 22.
Approval of a resolution to include a 14.13-acre parcel of land known as the Ricciardi property in the Township’s Open Space Plan will enable a partnership comprised of the Township, The Friends of Princeton Open Space, The Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association, and the N.J. Conservation Foundation to purchase it for $3.6 million. The parcel, which includes frontage along Bunn Drive and along an improved municipal right-of-way that runs from Bunn Drive to Terhune Road, would be purchased through local, county, and state funds. Township Committee members as well as members of the audience lauded the public/private partnership represented by this effort.
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In other business Monday evening Township Committee approved a professional services contract, not to exceed $442,000, with the firm, Brandstetter Carroll, for the provision of professional engineering and architectural services necessary to prepare the final designs and a contract document to renovate the pools and associated structures and equipment at the Community Park pool facility. Brandstetter Carroll previously prepared the Master Plan for the Joint Recreation Board. They have completed the design of more than 150 municipal pool complexes across the nation.
Passage of a resolution authorizing participation in Mercer County’s “Continuity of Government Planning” will, according to Administrator Jim Pasacale, enable the Township to receive grant funds to support plans for how the government would operate if it was unable to work out of Township Hall.
In an end-of-meeting report, Township Engineer Bob Kiser said that the newly installed Braeburn Drive culvert “was working well” during Monday’s heavy rains.