Wanaque council declares multiple water‑main emergencies, awards emergency repairs

The Borough of Wanaque on Feb. 9 declared a series of public‑health emergencies after water mains failed at multiple locations and authorized emergency repair contracts.

At the meeting, the council passed separate emergency resolutions to hire Carner Brothers Utilities to fix breaks on Union Avenue (added emergency cost $5,200), Aldrin Drive ($1,670), Crescent Road ($17,000) and Lovell Road (not to exceed $20,000). The resolutions cited N.J.S.A. 40A:11‑6, which allows municipalities to award contracts without public advertisement when immediate action is required for public health and safety.

The resolutions state that the Department of Public Works recommended emergency awards and that the Chief Financial Officer certified the availability of funds for each repair. No detailed timeline for completion was provided in the meeting minutes.

Council action came amid broader public works business at the meeting, including final payments for road projects and discussion of DPW equipment needs. Borough Administrator Robert Hermansen explained items on the consent agenda and noted the DPW’s role in identifying emergency repairs.

The meeting minutes do not record individual council roll‑call votes for each emergency resolution; where formal motions were recorded elsewhere on the agenda (for ordinance introductions and the consent agenda), roll‑call tallies were listed as Yes: Balunis, Kronyak, Leonard, Pasquariello, Pettet.

Next steps: The resolutions authorize immediate contracting and certify funds; the minutes do not specify contractors’ start dates, repair schedules, or anticipated service restorations. Residents with questions about service interruptions were not quoted as receiving timelines during the meeting.