Council Advances $1.65 Million in Grant Applications for Water Main and Street Safety Projects
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Glen Ridge's Mayor and Council used its March 13, 2023 meeting to move forward several infrastructure grant applications. The council authorized a $150,000 application to the state Department of Transportation for green-infrastructure and pedestrian-safety improvements on Spencer Road, including new sidewalk bumpouts to shorten pedestrian crossing distances, rain gardens, and stormwater management upgrades. It also authorized a $1.5 million federal grant application -- also submitted to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank -- to replace an aging water main on Carter Street, intended to improve water flow and quality and help the borough comply with state drinking-water and water-quality laws.
The council gave final approval to Ordinance 1780, which allows the borough to exceed the state's municipal budget cap limits by establishing a reserve, or "banking," unused cap space for future years -- a standard municipal-finance tool officials said they don't intend to actually use, but wanted in place heading into this year's budget process. The council also finally adopted Ordinance 1781, amending parking restrictions on designated streets, and approved a resolution committing up to $250,000 in borough matching funds -- via a 2019 capital ordinance and the New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act -- toward a library renovation that will add new study and meeting space, a water fountain, and a new bathroom.
On routine business, the vote to approve the borough's February 13, 2023 meeting minutes was not unanimous: two council members abstained (one identified in the recording as Councilor Morrow; the other's name was unclear in the audio), while the remaining three members present voted to approve. The motion carried 3-0, with the two abstaining members not counted as opposed.
The council also awarded two contracts to Harmony Tree Care LLC for borough athletic-field work -- $21,327 for aerification services and $23,550 for maintenance, a combined $44,877 -- both following a competitive bid process. A PSE&G representative reported that about 133 gas streetlamps have been repaired since the start of the year, with more repair work ongoing, and outlined tree-trimming and substation work continuing through 2025, plus electrical conversion work on Far and Bay streets planned for March 16. A public works liaison also flagged that water rates will rise this year due to lead-service-line inventory requirements under the state's Water Quality Act and a planned doubling of the wholesale "wheeling rate" Glen Ridge pays Montclair to pump water from North Jersey. Police reported a new "Take Me Home" program, a voluntary registration system to help officers safely locate and identify seniors, people with autism or dementia, and other high-risk residents who may go missing.
What to watch
- Water rate increases expected later this year tied to state lead-line inventory mandates and a proposed doubling of the wholesale "wheeling rate" paid to Montclair
- Continued PSE&G electrical and substation work through 2025