Officials Pleased State Begins Remediation Work to Water Basin

Borough officials report that they are pleased to see progress being made by the state toward fixing drainage and manintenance problems with the water basin at the Route 17 South and Franklin Avenue intersection. Local officials have complained to the state DOT that nothing was being done to cleanup the water basin despite the borough’s continued reports and complaints regarding its condition.

Borough Administrator Mike Kronyak presented a report from Borough Engineer Ken Job Tuesday night which stated that trenching was being done inside the basin on Monday, an indication that the state will work to improve the drainage, which has been one of the borough’s main issues with the site.

As reported previously, as this past spring state representatives agreed to the improvements but had yet to take action.

The site, which previously was a traffic island, was converted into a water basin more than a year ago by the state DOT. Borough officials have repeatedly stated over the past year that all the problems they predicted would happen did occur.

Problems include draining concerns, which officials have said threaten the adjacent athletic field if the basin were to clog and overflow, as well as lack of maintenance at the site. Vegetation has grown as high as six feet, a situation

Mayor Rose Heck met with Gov. Chris Christie’s Chief of Staff Richard Bagger last month to , including the lack of response to complaints about the water basin.

The mayor commented that she was pleased to see something being done at the site. She told the audience that residents who live in that area always e-mail her when they see activity down at the site, giving her minute-to-minute updates.

Kronyak told the mayor that he believes her meeting with Bagger helped get this matter attended to.

Job will continue to monitor the work at the water basin site, Kronyak said.