Township Moves to Expel Contractor From Road Work Duties in Development

Matthew Hersh

At the recommendation of the engineering department, Princeton Township has decided to remove developer Pulte Homes from its oversight of ongoing road construction in the Fieldwood Manors development.

Last week, Township Engineer Robert Kiser had requested authority to pull a performance bond guaranty that Pulte Homes had provided to ensure construction and the construction timeline. Mr. Kiser cited "skeleton crews" instead of full six- to eight-person crews on site, the inability to work Saturdays to make up for lost time due to inclement weather, and the fact that Pulte contractors did not arrive on site until October 30 despite a set October 31 completion date.

Mr. Kiser said at the time that Pulte Homes was overcommitted and did not have the resources required to complete the job within the Township's timeline.

James Mullen, in-house attorney for Pulte, cited strict Township road repair requirements and poor weather for the cause of the delay.

However, Mr. Kiser conceded that once the weather cleared and after the threat of removal, Pulte moved in and got back to work. They brought in paving crews, raised manholes, and showed the significant improvement the Township was looking for, he said.

That was, until Monday.

Mr. Kiser said the contractor had dispatched only a two-man crew on Monday and had removed a paving machine from the site.

"We got the information to [Township] Mayor [Phyllis] Marchand and she made the decision that we need to go ahead and act on the bond," Mr. Kiser said.

Ira Polly, president of the Fieldwood Manors Homeowners Association, said that the roads are not complete because various sewer work has not yet been completed.

"They didn't want to do anything that cost extra money," Mr. Polly said.

Since Township regulations require a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit and rising for paving to occur, and because the forecast calls for rain that will hinder paving efforts, the municipality will most likely winterize the roads at Fieldwood Manors.

Mr. Kiser said he hoped a decision on a new contractor could be made by January.

Mr. Mullen of Pulte Homes said the developer plans to object to the recommendation and it does not intend to remove itself from the project.

"We still have a contract with the paver to do the work, he is scheduled to be out there tomorrow through the end of the week," he said.

However, Mayor Marchand said the Township and Fieldwood Manors have waited long enough. "We've been working a really long time with Pulte, and we could only wait so long," she said. This is not the first time the Township has pulled performance bonds on a contractor.

Mr. Kiser cited the Preserve development where the Township determined intervention was necessary. Toll Brothers, the developer of the project, filed suit against the municipality.