Resident asks whether mayors met Army Corps on Rahway River flooding; deputy mayor says Corps' proposal was not federally fundable

Springfield Township — A resident correspondence on flooding and truck traffic prompted an extended explanation from a township official about prior Army Corps analysis and federal funding limits for a Rahway River Basin project.

Michael Bartosz, in an email read into the record by the clerk, asked the committee to consider converting Oakland Avenue to a one‑way street to reduce tractor‑trailer cut‑throughs and requested that the mayors of Union County meet with the Union County Board of Commissioners and the Army Corps of Engineers to address flooding in the Rahway River Basin. The clerk read Mr. Bartosz's correspondence into the public record.

Deputy Mayor Kaiser, who represents the township on the mayor's council, responded that the mayor's council had not recently met with the Army Corps. He summarized prior discussions with the Army Corps, saying their analysis and proposed project were judged not to meet federal funding requirements because the projected benefits would not have reduced water levels sufficiently across all communities to justify the cost. "Their proposed project was not able to meet the requirement for federal funding because it would not have alleviated..." he said, noting that even if a project produced localized improvements, it might still leave first‑floor flooding in other communities and would have environmental or access tradeoffs (for example, affecting reservation lands).

Deputy Mayor Kaiser also cautioned that local self‑funding for a major Corps‑style project would likely be infeasible and that state or federal approval remains a gating factor; he urged continued local maintenance and emergency‑management preparedness. He said the committee will continue to coordinate with the county on truck routing and other local concerns.

Why it matters: Residents along the Rahway corridor and local officials have sought durable flood mitigation solutions for years. The deputy mayor's remarks signal the technical and funding constraints that have made region‑wide Corps projects difficult to pursue, while the committee's pledge to continue county outreach leaves the specific policy response unresolved.

What was not decided: No regional funding commitment or formal regional meeting with the Army Corps was scheduled at the conclusion of this exchange. The committee did not adopt any traffic or flood mitigation measures at the meeting; it said it would pursue further coordination with county officials.

Representative quotes:

"I would like to have Oakland Avenue made into a 1 way," read the clerk from Michael Bartosz's email.

Deputy Mayor Kaiser: "Their proposed project was not able to meet the requirement for federal funding because it would not have alleviated..." (summarizing the Army Corps' prior analysis).

Next steps: The committee indicated it will continue to reach out to Union County and reiterated that DPW and public safety will prioritize local flood‑response and channel maintenance.