BERKELEY – The township will be converting some neighborhood recycling pick-ups to a can that gets lifted by a truck’s mechanical arm rather than Public Works employees arms to save on money.
Mayor John Bacchione said he spoke to residents at Holiday City and Silver Ridge Park and the change was well received.
He said during a recent Township Council meeting that 90% of the town’s workman’s compensation claims come from the Sanitation Department. “These guys are picking up cans all day and getting up and down off the truck.”
Switching to an automated process saves fuel and time, he said.
Resident Marilyn Miller asked if the robocans would cause layoffs. “I don’t want to see anyone lose their jobs.”
Bacchione said that there are five different departments in Public Works, one of which is Sanitation. They can go to one of the other departments, or they can stay in Sanitation and work on bulk pick-up. “We’re understaffed as it is.”
In other news, the township is applying for funding for a township project, a bike path at Veterans Park. The Township Council applied for the Fiscal Year 2025 New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Local Recreation Improvement Program to complete the third phase of the project.
Defibrillator Ordinance
Last year, the township enacted an ordinance that would require all restaurants in town to have at least one automated external defibrillator in an accessible location. The restaurant would also need to have at least one employee on site during normal business hours who holds a current certification on how to use it from a training program recognized by the Department of Health and Senior Services, such as the American Red Cross or American Heart Association. The date this was supposed to go into effect was originally January 1, 2025.
At the most recent Council meeting, Township Attorney Lauren Staiger said that the restaurants required more time to be compliant. The deadline was extended two years.
Defibrillators are devices that apply an electric charge to get a heart pumping at a normal rhythm, used after sudden cardiac arrest.
The idea for having these throughout town came after a local function in 2023 when an attendee had a medical emergency. The building they were in had an automated external defibrillator and the patient’s life was saved by another attendee who knew how to use one.
Manitou Park Schoolhouse
The Manitou Park Schoolhouse operated during segregation. In its advanced age, it is currently unsafe to enter. Officials have wanted to repair the building and make it into a community center. As a historic building, there is funding available for this, which the town has acquired.
The most recent step in this process involves paperwork prequalifying builders to do the restoration.
Business Administrator Scott Tirella said the hope is that the town will receive bids in April.
According to an agenda item from a previous meeting, the scope of work for this project includes: hazardous materials abatement, restoration of historic double-hung windows, installation of new windows, exterior door replacement, removal of flooring layers and replacement of damaged flooring, replacement of main entrance porch/stair system, replacement of east stair enclosure addition, replacement of existing roofing, installation of stud and joist sistering at perimeter walls and first floor structure, removal of existing mechanical ductwork and installation of new exhaust fans, removal of all lighting fixtures and exit signage, and exterior painting at windows, doors, and wood components.
Upcoming Events
The Township Council approved three special events on town property.
The Berkeley/Lacey Relay For Life will be at Veterans Park on May 31 overnight into June 1. The rain date is July 12.
MS Coast to Coast Bike Ride was approved for May 10. They will be heading down Route 35, “going to Island Beach State Park which is technically Berkeley Township,” Mayor Bacchione said.
“Relay For Life is a worthy cause. They’re at Veterans Park every year,” he said.
Rock to Adopt will be at Veterans Park on September 27 and 28.
