Berkeley Heights Township : Berkeley Heights Pushes Forward With 'West Side Drainage Project'

Press release from the Berkeley Heights Township:

February 20, 2022

The Township’s governing body passed a series of resolutions in an effort to combat drainage and flood-water infrastructure issues at Tuesday’s council meeting.  One of the resolutions authorized Berkeley Heights to retain the services of Neglia Engineering Associates as the town pushes forward with its “West Side Drainage Project.” 

More on the West Side Drainage project here, on the Township's website.

The project is aimed at overhauling the town’s drainage infrastructure to better accommodate stormwater ‘conveyance,’ as many streets in Berkeley Heights, especially those designated in the West Side Drainage Project, lack the appropriate infrastructure to deal with significant accumulated stormwater. 

The resolution passed on Monday extends the working relationship with Neglia as the township exits the “preliminary, conceptual design work,” notes the township website, and looks to secure funding from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB). The resolution appropriates a total of $390,000, with an initial $100,000 being paid to Neglia immediately in an effort to secure a potential loan with the NJIB.

Mayor Angie Devanney provided context before the resolutions passage, explaining that the council last year “approved $100,000 of additional work on this project” and “this resolution authorizes that to commence,” she said 

“After this $100,000 is authorized and work on the described services continues, the council will consider whether to fund the remainder of this work – $290,000 – in this year’s budget,” remarked the mayor. 

Funding will also depend on whether the township can obtain federal funding, with Mayor Devanney stating that Berkeley Heights has “applied for federal appropriations from both the U.S. House and Senate” to help fund the project.

“We requested the maximum from both chambers, $250,000 through Congressman Tom Malinowski’s office in the House, and $500,000 from Senator Cory Booker’s office,” the mayor said.  “Our $250,000 request made it to the full House Appropriations Committee for inclusion in the budget.  Meanwhile, in the Senate, our $500,000 request was given to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies for inclusion in the Senate Appropriations bill,” she said.

The mayor said the township is “awaiting more information on the approvals.” According to adraft study presented to the township in 2020, the cost of fixing the drainage problems on the west side of Berkeley Heights could cost around $20 million. 

More on this story and other action the Council took on drainage projects in TAPinto Berkeley Heights here. 

This press release was produced by the Berkeley Heights Township. The views expressed here are the author’s own.