A bond ordinance that will authorize the expenditure of $98,500 to replace a sewer pipe at the borough’s new recycling center off Main Street was adopted by the Matawan Borough Council.
Mayor Joseph Altomonte said Black Rock Enterprises was awarded a $235,000 contract to construct at the recycling center that is located adjacent to Matwan Creek.
During a pre-construction meeting with the contractor, officials learned the Western Monmouth Utilities Authority (WMUA) has a force main, also known as a sewer pipe, that runs through the area where the recycling center is being built.
The WMUA Executive Director, Brian Valentino, said the authority collects waste water from Marlboro. The authority’s infrastructure runs through Marlboro, Matawan, Aberdeen and Hazlet to Union Beach, where the waste water is treated.
“Our pipe in Matawan ends right at [the recycling center] site and the rest of the pipe … is owned by the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority all the way to Union Beach. So we are just trying to get from Marlboro to the Matawan recycling yard,” Valentino said.
Matawan Borough Administrator Louis Ferrara said, “What (Valentino) said was rather than having (Matawan) pave the entrance and then having (the WMUA) come back a year from now and rip it up again, they said why don’t we do a interlocal agreement where you have (the contractor) replace the pipe and we will reimburse you.”
Altomonte said the $98,500 will cover the cost of the infrastructure repair for the WMUA. Council members adopted the bond ordinance on April 3.
The WMUA “will be giving us the money and we are going to include it in our contract with our contractor,” Altomonte said.
Having the contractor complete that work will speed up the construction process for the recycling center, he said.
At present, Matawan collects recyclable materials if residents leave them at the curb, according to the mayor. He said officials decided to build a recycling center so residents can have their own recycling center in town.
Altomonte said Matawan is funding the recycling center through a grant and through its capital improvement budget. The facility is expected to open later this spring or in early summer.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
