Mayor presses Elizabethtown Gas over trenching hazards on Pequest Road; engineer says company will remediate

Mayor Gerald Norton told the Township Committee on Dec. 18 that recent trenching work by Elizabethtown Gas on Pequest Road and Robenson Ridge occurred without the township’s required 48-hour notice and left hazards on roads and sidewalks.

"I am not happy with their work and hazards they have left on the road and sidewalks," Norton said, noting he had sent photos to the engineer’s office and asked why the township had not been notified prior to work starting.

Township Engineer Mike Finelli responded that he had no good reason why the contractor did not provide notice. Finelli said township staff (Bryce, Donna and Pat) had communicated with the company and that the company agreed to clean and restore the affected areas. He added that the trench across Pequest Road will probably be repaired with paving in the spring because of current weather conditions. Finelli said bond and surety information had been sent to the township attorney.

Mayor Norton asked the township attorney to send a legal letter to the company asserting that the company, not the township, is responsible for any future damage or hazards arising from the work.

Washington Police Lt. Smith noted police also had not been notified about the work and asked whether law enforcement should attend the township’s Jan. 6 reorganization meeting to discuss the issue.

The committee did not record a separate formal enforcement action at the meeting; staff noted the company’s commitment to remediate and the mayor instructed the attorney to issue a legal notice if necessary.