Politics & Government

Task Force Will Address Remediation Of Flooded Municipal Building

The township continues to deal with hurricane aftermath.

Although the majority of the debris has now been removed from homes that flooded during Hurricane Irene, the trailers that sit behind the serve as a constant reminder of the effects that Hurricane Irene had on the township.

As remediation work to the building continues, municipal workers who previously utilized the lower level are now operating their departments out of trailers that are parked on the property. There's still a lot of work to be done, so to address the issues, a Mayor's Task Force on the Future of the Municipal Building has been formed. At a Township Committee meeting Tuesday, Mayor Dan Aschenbach said the task force will address "the future of the municipal building and long-term plans" for the complex.

The task force is composed of several local residents and officials including Police Chief Eric Mason, Commissioner Ed O'Malley and TV35 Station Manager Ed Davenport.

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Several of the resolutions that were approved by the Township Committee Tuesday pertained to the remediation of the Municipal Building - the second floor of which is able to be used. One resolution approved an agreemend with Mod Space Modular Buildings for the lease of the trailers that are being occupied by the department displaced by the flood. An agreement with American Freeze Dry Operations was also approved for the remediation of documents that were damaged by flood waters. Basically, in order to restore important records, a contractor will freeze dry the paper files to remove the moisture.

According to the mayor, 75 percent of the costs associated with flood remediation are being covered by grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This supplemental federal disaster grant assistance covers for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly-owned facilities. That leaves the township to cover the remaining 25 percent of the costs, which township officials are asking the state to fund.

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"We've been able to negotiate very aggressively with some of the contractors," the mayor said of the services that the town has paid for.

Local officials are also encouraging other municipalities that suffered flood damage to approve resolutions urging the state to pick up funding where FEMA leaves off.

In addition to working to remediate the municipal building, officials say they will be offering assistance to residents whose homes were extensively damaged in the hurricane - particularly those who are looking to acquire new property or rebuild with help from the federal government.

"It's a very complicated (application) process," the mayor said.

The town has received 140 requests from residents for this progam. A meeting with the NJ Office of Emergency Management is being planned to address these requests. A Rahway River Regiona; Conference is also being planned. It has been tentatively scheduled for Oct. 21 at Union County College.


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