Township recreation director urges council to fund new DPW building; administrators say remediation and reimbursements complicate timing

Dan Cadere, the township recreation director, urged the Township Council on Jan. 20 to fully fund a new Department of Public Works building and yard, saying current operations leave employees working in tents and exposed yards.

"A DPW building is extremely important to maintain efficient operations ... Let's give our DPW employees a new home," Cadere said during the public‑comment period. He told the council DPW staff had been without a permanent building for about four years and said delaying the project risks higher construction costs.

Administrators and councilors discussed possible ways to accelerate the project during the meeting's conference session. Mayor and staff said they had been exploring prefabricated multi‑bay buildings as a faster, lower‑cost option and would share photos and cost details with councilors. Administrator Mark DeCarlo said he would prepare a capital ordinance for the difference the council would need to approve at the next meeting to keep the project moving.

Funding and accounting remain unresolved. DeCarlo told the council he had expected a county reimbursement tied to the Township's acquisition of the old swim‑club property to reduce future borrowing needs, but that the township's records show the related capital line (ordinance 22‑01) remains partially unfunded. He said the county reimbursement was approximately $438,000 and that a new capital ordinance (23‑16) was created; as of the meeting about $65,000 of the reimbursement had been encumbered to pay engineering bills (a referenced $75,000 Boswell proposal). DeCarlo said the township will not encumber further funds until the reimbursement details are resolved and promised a written accounting linking the ordinances and fund balances.

Council members asked whether the township's emergency generator and salt‑shed needs were captured in current plans and whether change orders from the recent emergency services building had been reviewed to avoid repeating omissions; staff said they would check and share documents with the planner and architect. Council members also asked staff to look into prefabricated 6‑bay buildings used by nearby municipalities as potential models for faster construction.

Ending

Councilors asked staff to bring cost and schedule estimates for prefabricated alternatives, a written reconciliation of the swim‑club reimbursement and cap‑line balances, and confirmation of omitted items (generator, salt shed, access control) from the emergency services project prior to approving a capital ordinance to proceed.