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Deal Lake Commission: DEP delays stall stormwater project; commissioners say $96,000 still unpaid
Summary
Commissioners said state reviews have kept a stormwater management grant from advancing for nearly two years, preventing final design and the ability to go to bid; they said $96,000 from an earlier grant remains unpaid.
Deal Lake Commission commissioners reported March 20 that a stormwater-management project funded by a state grant remains stalled because the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has not returned the final grant agreement, delaying required conceptual design work.
Commissioners said the signed agreement dates to mid-2023 but DEP reviews from multiple offices have repeatedly reopened previously resolved questions. "We have not been authorized to perform any additional, conceptual design, by the DEP until the grant agreement is, returned," Commissioner Peter said during the meeting.
Why it matters: commissioners said the delay prevents the commission from completing field work to "establish limits of work" and finishing design documents needed to solicit construction bids. They also said the commission has already spent local funds and expects to seek an extension on grant deadlines once the agreement is returned.
Commission discussion and specifics - Commissioners said DEP reviewers in separate offices have returned a lengthy list of new questions after earlier reviews that the commission believed had satisfied requirements. Commissioner Don described repeated, duplicative reviews: "...we answered all these questions already, and the offices different offices are are reviewing it and asking the same basic questions. That's who I feel what's going on." - Commissioners said the commission has an outstanding reimbursement of about $96,000 from a previous grant. "We also have $96,000 supposedly that they still owe us from the last grant," Don said. - The commission reported it has completed initial plans and that preliminary work (site visits and other preparatory tasks) would allow them to go to bid once the DEP returns the agreement. Commissioners estimated the commission has already spent "probably 40,000, 60 thousand" dollars from local funds on the project work to date.
Next steps and constraints Commissioners said they will seek help from Senator Vin Gopal to expedite DEP review and that commission staff and officials will meet to answer the latest DEP questions. They also said the grant is federal money administered by the state, which can limit the commission's ability to extend deadlines: "...we're gonna be asking for extension right away. And so we so we can push it out, but they say we can't get an extension because it's federal money..." (paraphrase of discussion).
No formal vote was taken on the matter during the meeting; commissioners described it as an ongoing administrative issue requiring staff follow-up and additional documentation to DEP.
