Merchantville Council approves liquor-license renewals, awards 10-year cell-tower lease and funds site remediation

Merchantville Borough Council on Monday approved a slate of consent-agenda items that included liquor-license renewals, a 10-year cell-tower lease for Borough Hall and funding actions for downtown redevelopment and ordinance codification.

On a motion by Councilman Anthony Perno, seconded by Councilman Ray Woods, the council authorized renewals of plenary retail consumption and distribution licenses for local establishments and accepted the Department of Records and Licenses’ inspection findings. Eric Benjamin, director of the department, reported that inspections were completed and recommended issuance of the licenses; the borough fee noted in the applications was $1,500, with certain filings also including a $200 payment to the State Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Also adopted was R25-73, awarding a 10-year lease to Vertical Bridge for a cell tower sited at 1 W. Maple Avenue. The contract calls for $36,500 in the first year, with annual increases of 2.5%, and is effective July 1, 2025. The resolution states Vertical Bridge was the lowest—and only—bidder and authorizes the mayor and council to execute the agreement.

Council enacted a special emergency appropriation under N.J.S.A. 40A:4-55 of $10,000 to pay for codification of borough ordinances (R25-74), with a provision that at least $2,000 be included in succeeding annual budgets to repay the special emergency notes. Separately, the council requested insertion of $11,924.95 in special recreation revenue into the 2025 budget (R25-75), comprised of a $2,500 First Colonial Community Bank Recreation Grant and a $9,424.95 FY 2025 Clean Communities Grant.

For the downtown redevelopment project at Park and Centre Streets, the council authorized retention of TTI Environmental Inc. to perform limited site-remediation services (R25-76), not to exceed $5,580. The work order includes LSRP retention, site inspection, file review, a summary memo and associated correspondence and meetings; the finance officer certified available funds in account C-04-55-842-905.

The council accepted the report of the Department of Accounts and Auditing and authorized the treasurer to pay bills approved therein (R25-77). The meeting materials show a grand total of $1,930,173.77 for the bill list and manual checks/wires as presented to council.

During public comment, Xemaril Cruz of the Wow Center on Chestnut Avenue asked whether a porta-potty could be placed in a parking space on Chestnut; Clerk Denise Brouse replied that an updated use-of-facility form and contact with Rebecca were required. Mayor Edward Brennan and council members also delivered routine department reports, noting public-safety statistics, park registration updates and vacancies in the borough’s abandoned-property list; the mayor suggested additional signage at Chestnut and Centre to address recurring issues.

The consent-agenda items were approved as a block; the record notes the motion to approve the consent agenda was made by Perno and seconded by Woods. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m. on a motion by Andrew McLoone, seconded by Danniel Sperrazza.

Next procedural steps: execution of the Vertical Bridge lease and procurement documents for TTI Environmental are authorized; the emergency codification appropriation will be included in future budgets as required by statute.