During the monthly Beach Haven Council meeting, held Monday, Nov. 10, it was announced that town officials have accepted a $772,000 bid, the lowest received out of six, from TKT Construction of Williamstown for construction of the town’s new water pump station.
The bid is “a very good price” considering the engineer’s estimate was $1 million, said Richard Crane, borough manager.
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| Photo via Google The town suffered major floodwater damage from the storm. |
A grant will cover $500,000 of the cost. The balance will be paid by the town through a low-interest loan.
The existing pump building, which “sustained quite a bit of damage” from Superstorm Sandy, “has been functioning, but not functioning well,” Crane said. Local officials had hoped to get the project started last spring, but it was put off during the summer season.
The plant will be taken off line soon, and the town will use Long Beach Township water from Holgate for the remainder of the off-season. The new plant is expected to be up and running for the 2015 season.
On another topic, it was announced that town officials spoke last week with staff from the state Neighborhood Preservation Grant program regarding reconstruction of the town’s municipal building. The program, which would cover 25 percent of the project, is currently in the environmental review phase.
“Assuming all the environmental things go well – which I cannot imagine why not – we will then be able to get the final commitment letter from the program, which will then allow us to begin the process in earnest,” said Crane.
The cost is expected to be in the $3 million to $4 million range.
Don Kakstis, who was elected during the Nov. 4 election to fill one of the two open council seats and was sitting with the meeting audience, said he expects the municipal building project will be a “big challenge.”
“We need to start focusing on that,” he told The SandPaper. “I’m looking forward to it. There’s a lot to be done, and I’m trying to get involved as quickly as I can.”
He said the council has asked him to attend the meetings, and offer “opinions and thoughts and recommendations” on town matters.
“That’s why I’m here tonight,” he emphasized.
Also during the meeting it was announced that reconstruction of the 300 block of Sixth Street, including drainage, must be completed before Dec. 15, according to the contract. The project was awarded prior to the season, but was delayed and “tied up elsewhere.” Officials have been assured the project will be done by deadline, Crane said.
In other meeting news, the council announced it would dedicate the Fifth Street Pavilion to Floyd Cranmer, a prominent local builder in years gone by. A plaque was awarded to Ellie Ollivier, Cranmer’s daughter.
The council also adopted an ordinance amendment that disallows drones on the beach between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Other ordinance amendments adopted Monday increase the charge for certified copies of public records from $12 to $15; limit the use of crawl space or basement sump pumps, foundation or footing drains to 12 hours on and 12 hours off; and set for sale collectors beach badges and gift box, for $50 and $2 respectively.
Introduced for future adoption were an increase in the dog license fee by 30 cents, and changing the deadline for purchasing a preseason tennis pass to June 15.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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