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Public works presses for larger salt barn and Hamilton Street water main funding
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Summary
Public works and water department presented capital plans including a proposed 5,000‑ton salt barn to guard against delivery shortfalls and a multi‑phase Hamilton Street main replacement; the township filed grant applications with Senators Booker and Kim for Hamilton Street work.
Carl, the public works and water official, presented the department’s operating and capital budgets and described a set of near‑term infrastructure priorities for 2026.
On the capital side, Carl explained a proposal to replace an aging salt dome with a second salt barn that would hold roughly 5,000 tons of salt, intended to eliminate the town’s vulnerability during back‑to‑back storms and delivery shortages. He said the existing dome held roughly 750 tons and that the proposed barn would be sized to meet the town’s needs over the next five to ten years. Council members asked whether shared county or neighboring‑city arrangements could meet needs; Carl said past mutual support had become unreliable during recent statewide shortages.
Carl also described a multi‑phase Hamilton Street water main replacement (total project ~ $5.25 million) timed to the county’s planned roadway reconstruction and streetscape work; the council was told two federal grant applications for the Hamilton Street work were filed earlier the same day with Senators Booker and Kim.
Other water capital requests included $2 million for an annual main replacement program, pump‑station upgrades, SCADA and video‑surveillance upgrades required for pump stations, and apartment meter‑pit retrofits to reduce pre‑meter leakage. Carl said meter‑replacement and leak detection work have improved billed revenue and reduced losses.
Councilors probed the salt‑barn sizing and possible phased approaches; Carl cautioned that many salt barns are not easily expandable and that county supply had been thin during recent storms. No formal vote occurred during the hearing; council members directed staff to continue refining scopes and pursuing grant opportunities before final budget introduction.
