LAKEHURST – It isn’t used all that often but when it is needed, it is used extensively. That is how Councilman Gary Lowe described the borough’s backhoe.
The backhoe, operated by members of the borough’s Department of Public Works, has a problem. Last month Councilman Lowe reported to council that the aged vehicle was failing and that there appeared to be only two options going forward.
Those options included replacing the vehicle – that would be fairly costly – or swap out an engine for it which would prove more financially prudent.
“We’re getting a second opinion. We may not have to replace it or replace the engine. We’re looking at a third option,” Lowe said during a recent Council meeting.
Councilman James W. Davis added, “our biggest problem down in that juncture (DPW) seems to be the backhoe oil consumption is bad.”
Davis said “I think we are better off with the devil we know.” He is opting to repower the backhoe with a new motor which would cost roughly $22,000. “It would cost us about $100,000 to get a new one.”
“A motor is somewhere around $22,000 which is way more viable than a brand new machine,” he added. He also reported that he had a meeting with the director of the DPW regarding nuisance trees. “We are still waiting to hear back from the attorney on the letter that we are going to send out to residents to those who live on those streets. They have the option to opt out but we won’t be responsible later if anything happens.”
The trees are causing damage to sidewalks in areas of the borough and are planned for removal but some residents have voiced that they wish to keep the trees in place.
In another matter Davis said that “we have gone out for our third estimate for a new roof on Borough Hall.” He also said work is being done for new rest rooms.
Councilman Robert McCarthy reported about the school district’s adoption of its $9 million spending plan during a Board meeting of March 16.
“At this point the proposed budget is a total of $9,836,527. The town tax levy, our responsibility, at this point would be $1,246,203 with an additional debt service of $105,040 with a total of $1,351, 243 that is up approximately $25,000 from last year.”
“No explanation was offered,” McCarthy said in reference to the school district’s reduction of state aid funding. He said single district schools like Lakehurst’s could be targets by the state for “forced school district consolidation. They hit several district’s very hard,” McCarthy added.
Council President Steven Oglesby noted Toms River was one of the district’s hurt hard by the S-2 state aid funding formula this year.
“This will be a slow bleed but I think we will be bleeding right along with them,” he said.
The adoption for the school budget will be April 28 at 7 p.m., McCarthy added. The meeting will take place at the Lakehurst Elementary School.
He said as of March 30, “the school had returned to all virtual learning due to an uptick in cases (of the coronavirus) of staff and students and there is a hope that when students and staff return from the spring break they will be corralled and there won’t be a large influx from the vacation.”
McCarthy noted that the school district was still serving breakfast and lunch while in virtual instruction mode and that pre-school would be remaining remote due to staffing conditions. He said the school district’s March bills came to $338,921.68.
He also noted some news from the borough’s fire department that there will be a mutual aid drill on May 1 starting at 8:30 a.m. until noon. “What they will be trying to do is recreate on one of our larger structures on Union Avenue such as a big Victorian home or a god forbid the school, a large water pumping scenario.”
Resident Bruce Morrison asked about the status of the Council’s plan to address overcrowding at the borough’s Horicon Lake noting last season that it had gotten “mobbed.”
Oglesby said the council was working to make sure that the same situation would not happen this season and would be taking efforts with restricted parking as opposed to a lake beach badge that would have to be applied to residents and non-residents.
“We looked at parking for what I think will be a viable solution,” Oglesby said. He said that the restrictions to be introduced would provide police tools and that lifeguards who already have enough to do focusing on the safety of the lake would only need alert police “should they see the Lake being full.”
Lowe also reported to the council that the police department was also asking about the upstairs area of a borough owned facility for a gym.
“Initially we had considered that but there might be a hazard in putting all that equipment upstairs so perhaps we can block off one of the bays and utilize the free gym equipment that has been given to us. It would be a shame not to use it. We’ll talk about it again but we need to look at it,” Lowe said.
