Riverside funds Pennoni plan for Whomsley Field landfill closure while seeking state grants for drainage and recreation upgrades

The Riverside Township Committee on Jan. 27 approved a professional-services budget of up to $198,000 for Pennoni Associates to carry out environmental investigations, a phased landfill-closure plan and landfill-gas system design at Whomsley Field and authorized staff to pursue related state grant funding for drainage and recreation improvements.

The contract authorization (Resolution 2025-#38) covers four technical work streams: minor-disruption permitting and site health-and-safety planning; horizontal and vertical landfill delineation (test pits, borings and soil sampling); groundwater and vapor-point monitoring (new monitoring wells and sampling); and a Phase 1 closure/post-closure care plan tied to a proposed turf-field installation. The scope also includes engineering design for a passive landfill-gas collection-and-control system for the turf-field area and preparation of an air-permit application if required by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).

The Pennoni proposal, filed with the clerk's office, breaks the total $198,000 estimate into line items: $97,500 for landfill delineation and sampling; $19,000 for a closure/post-closure care plan; $61,000 for landfill-gas collection and control system design for Phase 1; and $20,500 for an air-permit application. The Pennoni scope anticipates a phased approach so the township can proceed with a turf-field installation on the closed portion (Phase 1) while planning later closure phases for the remaining landfill footprint.

Why it matters: The NJDEP has indicated closure of the former landfill is required before full site development proceeds. Pennoni's work will define the horizontal and vertical limits of buried waste, install and sample monitoring wells, monitor vapor and methane presence, and produce a certified Minor Disruption Report to support NJDEP review and the township's phased closure plan. The township resolution records that the CFO certified funds available for 2025 only; future-year spending will depend on later appropriations.

Other grant actions tied to Whomsley: The committee separately authorized staff to apply for a Department of Community Affairs grant (Resolution 2025-#37) for roughly $250,000 to improve drainage at the Polk and North Fairview intersection, and it approved submitting a Local Recreation Improvement Grant application for Whomsley Field Phase I (Resolution 2025-#40). Those grant applications, if funded, would be used alongside the closure work to enable sports-field upgrades and drainage fixes at or near Whomsley Field.

What Pennoni will do next: The firm's written scope calls for a Minor Disruption permit application and a health-and-safety plan, up to 5 test pits and up to 10 soil borings with up to 10 laboratory TCL/TAL plus EPH analyses, installation of up to four additional on-site monitoring wells (and up to three off-site wells if required), a baseline groundwater-monitoring event, and five temporary vapor points. Investigation-derived wastes will be containerized and disposed as required; an allowance for disposal costs was included in the proposal. After delineation, Pennoni will prepare a Closure and Post-Closure Care Plan and designs and bid documents for a passive landfill-gas collection system intended to vent gas on-site. If NJDEP requires active extraction or emission controls, Pennoni noted that design costs would be adjusted.

What the minutes record: The resolution was adopted during the regular meeting and the related proposal and certifications were filed with the Township Clerk. The Pennoni proposal and supporting cost breakdowns are on record and available for public inspection in the clerk's office.

Next steps and timing: Pennoni indicated the Minor Disruption application had been submitted and that delineation and permitting would be staged to allow Phase 1 closure and turf-field construction to proceed pending NJDEP approval; the committee authorized grant applications that would fund related drainage and recreation improvements. Final construction and full closure timelines will depend on NJDEP approvals, disposal characterization outcomes, and subsequent appropriations.

Provenance: The committee record includes the Pennoni proposal and Resolution 2025-#38 (see meeting minutes); detailed proposal pages and budget breakdowns are attached to the public record filed with the Township Clerk.