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Council introduces ordinance to appropriate $140,000 for Kolala Park environmental investigation
Summary
The council introduced Ordinance 03-2025 to authorize up to $140,000 in general improvement bonds/notes for environmental investigation and potential remediation at Kolala Park and discussed Green Acres funding, historical RAO gaps, and potential contractor recoupment.
The Lambertville City Council introduced Ordinance 03-2025 to fund environmental investigation and possible remediation at Kolala Park with a $140,000 bond issuance.
Speaker 2 said the appropriation will cover initial testing and remediation work as needed and noted the city recently acquired the deed for the park. Staff described a prior lapse in required paperwork: a response-action outcome (RAO) had not been submitted previously because the licensed site remediation professional (LSRP) did not file the RAO, and Green Acres funding was at risk in 2022 but remains open while the city follows up.
Council members asked whether the city could recoup costs from any contractor responsible for earlier work; staff said they are exploring potential recovery and gathering historical documents. One councilor noted the issue dates to 2013'17 and that more documents and testing data are being collected.
Why it matters: Kolala Park is closed while the city pursues additional testing and remediation; the ordinance would make funding available so testing can proceed and the city can pursue remediation if necessary. Green Acres has signaled it will continue to work with the city if the municipality demonstrates forward progress.
Next steps: Ordinance 03-2025 was introduced with a public hearing set for March; staff will continue testing, prepare bonding paperwork, and pursue any available recovery from responsible contractors or parties.
