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Garwood resident urges probe of Ashbrook/Oatman swamp work and CME Associates contracting

Board of County Commissioners of Union County · February 3, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

At the public-comment portion, Bruce Patterson accused county officials of covering up damage and questioned a 47% increase to CME Associates' contract and leases for caretakers at Feltville Village and Watchung Stables; county staff were identified to follow up but no formal response or investigation was announced.

During the public-comment period, Bruce Patterson of Garwood raised allegations about county contracting and environmental work connected to the Ashbrook/Oatman swamp restoration. Patterson said the county increased CME Associates' contract "by 47% to $300,000" and alleged a broader mishandling that the public first discovered in October 2024, calling it "the Oatman Swamp debacle." He claimed equipment was found "buried deep in mud and water" and said a…

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