Paramus Votes to Move Forward with Auxiliary Power Plan

Two years ago Halloween brought a destructive snow and ice story. Tuesday will mark one year since Superstorm Sandy ripped through the area.  Heck, a tornado rolled through Bergen County earlier this month.

Rest assured that your Mayor and Council are not forgetting those incidents and are doing their part to prepare for what could come next. Former Mayor James Tedesco worked with DPW Director George Picone in organizing the structure of auxiliary power for the borough’s functionality during power outages.

The Mayor and Council voted in favor of spending $365,000 in efforts to be self-sufficient during such disasters. The funds will work towards Tedesco’s plans targeting the buildings that keep Paramus functional. 

• Currently, only one of the four firehouses that service the town has an auxiliary power system. Going forward, generators will supply the other three with auxiliary power and Paramus would maintain four functional firehouses even with a loss of power.
• A trailer-mounted generator is being purchased for the operation of Borough Hall. Tedesco described the portable option as more cost effective and more flexible, as it could be easily transported. Borough Hall could then remain open and fully operational during appropriate hours.
• The DPW building has a generator that can not power the entire building. A permanently installed generator that can supply the entire building is planned for the DPW building.

“I wish we had half of these things last year,” said LaBarbiera. “You realize how crippled you are when the power goes out for an extended period of time and how essential some of the services are that we need to offer our residents. It’s bad when the people that need to help you are out.”

The town is doing what they can to ensure that the people that help restore and keep the town safe will be able to function.