BRICK – The governing body recently approved bond ordinances with a 5-, 7-, 10-, and 15-year life for various purchases and acquisitions included in the 2019 capital budget.
“All the different bond ordinances that are coming up reflect the expected useful life of a variety of different capital items,” said Mayor John G. Ducey during a June council meeting.
Ducey said this would be his sixth capital budget totaling $8.5 million, even though department heads had made requests totaling $25 million.
“We had to reduce it, prioritize it, have all the department heads get together again – police, engineering, parks, recreation, public works, IT – and get it down to the $8.5 million,” Ducey said. Keeping a tight lid on the capital budget has enabled his administration to pay down township debt, he said.
The highlights of the 2019 capital budget include several vehicles for the Department of Public Works (DPW), including an automated garbage truck, a rear-loader, a single-axle dump truck, and a bucket truck.
Ducey said it is important to keep up with a regular rotation of DPW vehicles so the budget doesn’t get hit with having to buy all new vehicles at one time.
The budget also includes three new vehicles added to the fleet for the township’s inspectors, IT and code enforcement officers, he said.
Ballistic glaze barriers for the tax collector’s office were included in the budget, which are the same improvements made in the clerk’s office that were added for safety, he said.
The budget also includes equipment needed to provide for a senior services outreach satellite office at the Civic Plaza, which would enable the township seniors to have access on both sides of town, the mayor said.
Road improvements are part of the capital budget. The roads scheduled to be worked on this year, which were designed last year in previous capital budgets, include Brower Drive, Cranberry Cove Road, North Lakeshore Drive, Lawrence Drive, parts of the neighborhoods of Midstreams and Beverly Beach, and Old Silverton Road.
Engineering will continue with a microsurfacing program that was started a couple of years ago on the roads in Laurelhurst and Glen Ridge Estates, which will be completed this year.
Drainage projects include a reconstruction at Duquesne Boulevard, the design and permitting for the Channel Drive bulkhead, and the formation of a dredging master plan which would result in an overall permit and plan from the state instead of getting separate permits for each individual project, Ducey said.
A drainage project for Breton Woods would be completed in a shared services agreement with the MUA since they are replacing the water main there.
Drainage projects are also budgeted for the senior field at Brick American, parking lot improvements at Pinewood Park for the Brick Township Soccer Association, and a new scoreboard for Brick Little League.
And finally, the budget funds the replacement of the synthetic fields at Drum Point Sports Complex, and a new roof at the municipal building.
Senior Shuttle
Ducey also announced that a new transportation service for seniors aged 60 and over would be available starting June 24.
The township has acquired two wheelchair-accessible buses that would offer free rides from the Senior Center on Adamston Road to shopping areas, including WalMart, ShopRite, Stop and Shop, the Dollar Store and others, from Monday through Thursday.
On the last Friday of each month, the shuttles would provide transportation to the Ocean County Mall. On the other Fridays the shuttles would be used to transport seniors to other local areas of interest, like parks or the boardwalk.
One of the buses was acquired through a Federal Transit Administration Grant, administered by NJ Transit. The other bus was purchased by the township through funds included in the 2015 and 2018 capital budgets for $83,986.
For more information on utilizing the senior shuttle, call Senior Outreach Services at 732-920-8686.
