Municipal officials eye sewer project

BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

HOWELL — Plans to install sewers at properties on both sides of Route 9 in the Freewood Acres section of the township were the topic of discussion at a recent Township Council meeting.

Mayor Joseph M. DiBella and members of the council debated the issue of how property owners would cope with the cost of installing sewer lines to their homes.

According to Finance Director Jeffrey Filiatreault, the “hard and soft” costs for sewering 506 properties on both sides of the highway would total $4.5 million. Soft costs include studies and all attendant paperwork; hard costs are the cost of the actual installation.

The discussion included how the township might help homeowners pay for the cost of the sewer installations.

Filiatreault said 10- to 20-year financing is available to make the payments easier for homeowners to manage.

Township Manager Bruce Davis said the cost of the sewer installation was estimated to be about $8,700 per property.

Filiatreault told the mayor and council members the costs would include the interest on the low-interest financing the township would procure for the property owners.

In discussing the cost of the installation, the governing body considered several aspects that could affect the proposal.

Deputy Mayor Juan Malave said that the overall cost, no matter how well amortized, could prove to be a hardship for many Freewood Acres residents. He said many people who live in that neighborhood are senior citizens or families already subsisting under economic hardships.

Malave said he thought the residents of Freewood Acres should be polled in an effort to determine whether they wanted the sewers installed.

Councilman Peter Tobasco disagreed. He said because the project had initially been proposed as a health and safety issue, the mission for public officials was clear.

“Let’s just do it,” Tobasco said, adding that he did not believe a 10-year payout was too damaging to property owners.

Filiatreault said the financing could be extended from 10 to 20 years if Howell bonded for the project.

DiBella agreed with Tobasco, saying, “It’s such an overwhelming health issue, we have to intervene.”

Davis was directed to send certified letters to Freewood Acres residents apprising them of the proposal.

Filiatreault said he would come up with the bonding cost to the township.

In other business, the council awarded a $4.1 million contract to Manzo and Manzo and Son construction for the installation of sewers down Route 9 south from Lanes Mill Road to the Lakewood border. Work on that project is expected to begin shortly.