$6M Upgrade To Emergency Equipment On Howell Ballot

HOWELL, NJ — Improving the emergency communications infrastructure in the township is the goal of a special fire district referendum this Saturday, Oct. 29.

The township's five fire districts will ask voters to consider the districts' share of the capital project, estimated at a total of nearly $6 million.

The project would be jointly funded by the township and the fire districts.

The project would include a new communications tower on Route 33.

"The township and fire districts believe that this upgrading the communications infrastructure is a vital project for the township," Interim Township Manager Joseph Clark has said.

If approved, the projects are estimated to take roughly a year and a half to complete, the township said.

The entire estimated cost of the project is expected to be $5.87 million dollars. The township and fire districts will share the expenses of the project, based upon the equipment each fire district and township department requires. The township’s total share is estimated at $1.8 million dollars, and the fire districts' shares are estimated to be roughly $4.2 million dollars total, Clark said. He added that the township already has about $1.5 million in funds available under a prior Monmouth County Improvement Authority bond issue, and each individual fire district’s share is based upon the equipment needed for the district.

The projects included in the referendum include:

• Installation of new radio, paging, subscriber, and computer-aided dispatch systems.
• Purchase of various radio equipment.
• Construction of a new 150 foot radio tower near Fire District #2, at 993 Route 33.
• Shelters at various locations in the township.

Fire Districts 1, 2, 4, and 5 are each seeking approval for the issuance of bonds of $1 million dollars, and Fire District 3 is seeking approval for the issuance of bonds of $1.2 million dollars.

Only those registered to vote in regular elections are eligible to vote in the Fire District Elections.

The special election will be held at the polling locations. Voters can submit an application for a mail-in ballot by visiting the Monmouth County Clerk’s office no later than Oct. 28, at 3 p.m., according to the township

Here are the polling locations. Voting will take place from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at all locations:

• Fire District 1: Squankum Firehouse, 271 Squankum Road, Farmingdale
• Fire District 2: Adelphia Firehouse, 925 Route 524, Howell
• Fire District 3: Southard Fire Department No. 1, 4611 Route 9, Howell
• Fire District 4: Ramtown-Howell Fire Company No. 2, 88 Ramtown-Greenville Road, Howell
• Fire District 5: Freewood Acres Firehouse, 17 East 5th Street, Howell