Middlesex County Improvement Authority approves RWJBarnabas parking lease, recycling contract and CME inspection work

The Middlesex County Improvement Authority on Feb. 12 approved a set of resolutions including a memorandum of understanding and lease with Robert Wood Johnson (RWJBarnabas) for spaces in the Cancer Pavilion parking garage, a three‑year curbside recycling contract, and hiring CME Associates to perform engineering review and inspections at the Hardenberg Street garage. The board voted to approve the resolutions and to pay vouchers by voice vote.

The actions matter because they affect parking availability and operations for a major hospital campus, change how curbside recycling will be delivered in participating communities, and place an independent engineering review on a newly built garage before the authority accepts the structure.

Board members heard from James Poloz, executive director of the Middlesex County Improvement Authority, and public commenter Charlie Kratoville of New Brunswick Today before voting. Poloz described the RWJBarnabas lease terms included in the draft documents and noted the authority is continuing to finalize legal language. "That is correct. It is $215 per month per space," Poloz said when asked to confirm the monthly rent per leased space. The resolution text read at the meeting lists RWJBarnabas among the parties to a memorandum of understanding and a separate lease agreement for parking spaces in the Cancer Pavilion parking garage.

The lease as discussed would cover 650 spaces for RWJBarnabas, leaving the remaining spaces for patients, visitors and the general public, Poloz said. He characterized the allocation as roughly half of the garage used by employees and the remainder for valet, patients and visitors. The resolution as read at the meeting did not specify additional operational rules or detailed public‑access scheduling in the text presented at the meeting.

On engineering oversight, the board authorized CME Associates to provide professional services associated with the Hardenberg Street garage in New Brunswick. Poloz said the authority sought an independent consulting engineer to perform an overview, review and inspection to support the certificate of completion and to sign off before the authority accepts the property. Poloz stated the not‑to‑exceed amount for CME's work as $209,745.

The authority also authorized an award of contract for curbside recycling and marketing services to Interstate Waste Services of New Jersey. The contract term read at the meeting is three years, commencing April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2028, with two optional one‑year extensions. Poloz described a likely transition for many participating communities from 30‑gallon open containers to automatic side‑load (ASL) service with 95‑gallon wheeled bins that the vendor would deliver. "They're 95‑gallon containers with wheels and lids. These will be provided by the vendor to the individual residences," Poloz said, and he said communities may decide whether to adopt ASL or retain rear‑load service under the bid specifications.

During the meeting Poloz also reported progress on rail projects the authority manages. He said the North Brunswick train station pre‑application meeting with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection had been productive and that a 10 percent concept design and PDR for the New Brunswick train station had been submitted to NJ Transit for further review. Poloz said the New Brunswick station garage is operational and that employees are expected to begin using the facility by the end of the month.

Public commenter Charlie Kratoville asked for clarity about the Metuchen Parking Authority management arrangement the improvement authority recently began, including which assets the IA is overseeing. Poloz said the IA is managing surface lots for the Metuchen Parking Authority, not on‑street enforcement, and that some deck or residential development parking is managed by a different entity. Kratoville also urged the authority to publish meeting recordings on the county website; he said he was recording and broadcasting the meeting on New Brunswick Today's YouTube channel.

Votes at a glance - Resolution authorizing execution of a memorandum of understanding with Robert Wood Johnson (RWJBarnabas) for Cancer Pavilion parking garage: approved (voice vote). - Resolution authorizing execution of a lease agreement with RWJBarnabas for parking spaces in the Cancer Pavilion Parking Garage (650 spaces; rent stated at $215 per space per month in discussion): approved (voice vote). - Resolution authorizing award of contract for curbside recycling and marketing services to Interstate Waste Services of New Jersey (term 04/01/2025–03/31/2028 with two optional one‑year extensions): approved (voice vote). - Resolution authorizing CME Associates to provide professional services for the Hardenberg Street Garage in New Brunswick (not‑to‑exceed $209,745): approved (voice vote). - Resolution for payment of expenses / payment of vouchers: approved (voice vote).

The board approved the minutes of the Jan. 8, 2024 meeting and then adjourned; no executive session was held. No roll‑call vote tallies were recorded in the verbal vote; the chair called for aye/oppose and reported no opposition when the measures passed.

Details and clarifications from the meeting - Lease rent: James Poloz confirmed the draft language discussed shows $215 per month per leased space. The meeting did not present a finalized, signed lease; staff said legal counsel will finalize the document before execution. - Leased spaces: The resolution as presented identified 650 spaces to be leased by RWJBarnabas; the disposition and operational rules for the remaining spaces were described in general terms (patients, visitors, valet, some public use) but specific scheduling and pricing for non‑leased spaces were not provided in the meeting packet read aloud. - CME contract: Poloz described CME's role as inspection and sign‑off prior to the authority accepting the garage; the stated not‑to‑exceed amount at the meeting was $209,745. - Recycling contract: The contract contains both ASL (automatic side‑load) and rear‑load options; uptake of ASL depends on each participating community's decision. Vendors will deliver 95‑gallon wheeled bins to residences if a community opts into ASL.

The meeting record shows the board continues to manage several capital and operational projects and to finalize contract language before execution. Additional details and final contract documents were not provided in the packet read aloud at the meeting; staff said finalized contracts and legal review will follow before signatures.