By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
COLTS NECK – The Township Committee has approved a temporary capital improvement budget for 2017 which totals $3.39 million and provides for the following:
• Improvements on Five Points Road, $625,000 ($300,000 funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation)
• Recreation improvements totaling $650,000, includes a new artificial turf field on Five Points Road
• Improvements for the Colts Neck Police Department headquarters, $500,000
• Acquisition of a fire truck, $400,000
• Improvements to the walking path at town hall, $249,000 (includes a $94,000 open space grant)
• Improvements to the community center, $150,000
• Road improvements, $820,000.
Documents indicate $127,383 will be used from the township’s capital improvement fund.
The committee introduced a bond ordinance to fund $2.87 million of the cost of the improvements. A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 15. Committee members may vote to adopt the bond ordinance following the public hearing.
There was a resolution regarding the new artificial turf field, which officials said will be used for lacrosse, football, baseball, soccer and special events.
Officials said there is an anticipated donation of about $600,000 from the Duncan Thecker Charitable Trust to fund the construction of the new field.
The resolution states that, “In order to express the township’s gratitude for Mr. Thecker’s lifetime of charitable work for the township and the New Jersey community at large, the committee agrees that the project will be perpetually named for Mr. Thecker and that the trust may design a monument or tribute to Mr. Thecker to be integrated with the project in a manner and location mutually agreeable to the township and the trust.”
If construction on the turf field does not begin by Jan. 1, 2020, the donation will be returned to the trust or to any other organization designated by the trust, according to the resolution.
