Watchung Eyes $400,000 in Sandy Cleanup Costs

Shortly after the devastating and damaging effects of Superstorm Sandy in very late October streets and roads were opened up by outside contractors working for the Borough and also by the Borough Public Works Department.

Preliminary clean-up including the removal of some tree parts continued in November and December. The borough wanted to give every homeowner ample time to have properties cleaned up of all tree parts and debris since Thanksgiving and the December Holiday season arrived in a relatively short time after Superstorm Sandy came through.

The mayor and Borough Council determined that a massive clean-up of the borough to remove all tree parts from Watchung streets and roads would begin on Jan. 2, and further decided that every borough street would be completed one time through.

As each road was finished, the borough posted the completed street on the borough website. Public Works coordinated this huge effort with the assistance of outside contractors and all Watchung roads were finished by the end of February.

In order to pay for the costs associated with the Sandy devastation and the subsequent response and clean-up, the mayor and Borough Council adopted an emergency appropriation in excess of $359,000 in very late 2012. These expenses will be financed through the municipal budget over a period of probably several years commencing in 2013.

Additional monies exclusive of this emergency appropriation must be appropriated in the 2013 budget too for the grinding/mulching and the removal of tree parts from the Ness site on Mountain Boulevard. Bids will be received for this work on May 21. These expenses are estimated at $50,000 to $75,000.

Residents should not continue to place tree parts and other related yard debris in the right of way of Watchung streets and roads. It is the responsibility of the individual homeowner to arrange for any tree parts or other types of yard debris to be removed from borough streets and roads—please do so immediately for safety reasons also.

Since this Sandy effort was such a major undertaking, the mayor and council appreciate the work of the Public Works Department and the private contractors that worked for the borough.

The residents of Watchung should also be thanked for their cooperation and support during this very difficult time.