Page 4 • Wednesday , February 22 , 2017 • The Hammonton Gazette
PWTC / WSC discusses time off , airport , bathrooms , recycling
PWTC , from Page 1 would make sure essential employees are
responding to service requests ensuing from call-outs in a timely fashion .
Public Works Department Head Scott Rivera recalled a recent incident where he needed an extra employee to help salt the roads but did not get a response in a timely fashion from any of the employees he reached out to via text message and had to salt the road himself . A reinforcement of such policies would limit this miscommunication and make them a punishable offense .
“ I experienced a problem in January ; it was a Saturday night . I texted everybody in a group text individually , so it timestamps it when it was delivered . I got a reply back that one had been drinking , one wasn ’ t available , one didn ’ t get it . So , I came in , and I salted ,” Rivera said .
Committee member Councilman Sam Rodio and Mayor Stephen DiDonato questioned whether the source of Rivera ’ s issue could be due to a morale problem within the department , but Rivera said the employees later apologized for not responding promptly .
Public Works Manager / Business Administrator Jerome Barberio will take the proposal to the union that represents the employees in question , which he said would take place before town council ’ s meeting on February 27 .
In other news , Barberio reported to the committees that Catalyst Aviation LLC is currently working on modifying and renovating a hangar at the Hammonton Municipal Airport and will have it ready by their required date of April 1 .
Along with painting and replacing rugs among other modifications , Catalyst is working on replacing the airport ’ s gate , which will be 49 feet-wide .
Barberio also said the town was going to attend a meeting regarding the removal of trees causing obstructions at the airport on February 17 and can expect bids for the tree removal to be submitted by February 28 . The committees may hold a special meeting to review the bids and award one so it will be ready for the town council meeting the day prior , according to Barberio .
In water and sewer business , town municipal utilities superintendent Anthony DeCicco reported on an obstruction in the sewer line of the Hammonton Little League ’ s bathrooms at the Hammonton Lake Park . According to DeCicco , the obstruction is somewhere beneath the patch of pavement next to the bathrooms , located between the fence and the dirt track surrounding the lake park ’ s fields and facilities .
DeCicco said the department is currently attempting to run a scope through the trap of the bathrooms ’ plumbing but cannot find the
Volunteers needed for lake clean-up
Volunteers are needed for the Ninth Annual Hammonton Lake Clean-Up on Saturday , February 25 at 10 a . m . Volunteers will meet in the Canoe Club at Hammonton Lake Park . Refreshments will be provided and service credit documentation is available . This event is hosted by Atlantic County Utilities Authority , Hammonton Environmental Commission , Hammonton Green Committee and Hammonton Lake Water Quality Advisory Committee .
source of the obstruction . The next course of action is to cut into the patch of pavement , remove the trap , which is approximately four to five feet below ground , and then look for the obstruction with a large , high-pressure water jet line . DeCicco said unearthing the trap would require the water and sewer department to cut into a five-byfive-foot portion of the pavement , which is freshly paved , according to DiDonato .
The committees also discussed New Jersey Future , a local non-profit organization who has been corresponding with the town regarding an impervious service project over the past several months .
New Jersey Future conducted a Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study on the town to identify areas where green infrastructure could be implemented that would reduce impervious surfaces that increase storm water runoff .
Barberio said New Jersey Futures is inquiring about whether or not the town is willing to budget for an estimated amount of $ 2,500 to $ 5,000 , so they can pay professionals to facilitate the implementation of green infrastructure in the eight sites New Jersey Future has identified .
Committee member and Councilman Michael Pullia commended the efforts and research of those behind the proposed project , which was spearheaded by members of New Jersey Future , green infrastructure manager Louise Wilson and Dr . Christopher Obropta of Rutgers University , but said the town ’ s budget will not allow for such funding and that New Jersey Futures should pay for the project themselves .
“ They ’ re wonderful people . Chris [ Obropta ] is wonderful . He ’ s very good , very knowledgeable ; they know their stuff . However , this puts a burden on our budgets and limited funds here … It is a great idea . What they want to do is wonderful , but ... we just don ’ t have the funds or the time … You have the money — you have Rutgers — you pay for the professionals ,” Pullia said . The committees discussed another project during the meeting , a platform titled “ SeeClickFix ” that routes community problems and concerns to the appropriate town officials . According to Barberio , the Atlantic County Utilities Authority ( ACUA ) wants to give the town the abilities to control the “ SeeClickFix ” platform to report whenever the ACUA misses a recycling crate during trash removal , and also to report any water and sewer-related issues that residents may have to the appropriate officials .
ACUA is currently pushing for the webbased platform , which also has a mobile application , to be implemented in every Atlantic County municipality . Barberio said that using “ SeeClickFix ” would come at no cost to the town .
“ What they want to do is they want to get every other municipality in the county to sign up so they can do their recycling with our program . When a recycling can is missed , they want to be notified through this platform , ‘ SeeClickFix ,’” Barberio said .
In other news , Robert Vettese of town engineering firm , Adams , Rehmann and Heggan ( ARH ) associates reported on several engineering-related items during the meeting , including the alteration of who possesses access to the town ’ s SAGE program , which is a “ state proprietary program for grant funding and payments ,” according to Barberio . Vettese asked the committees to give ARH permission to utilize the SAGE program with town accountant Frank Zuber to seek additional funding opportunities for various projects .
“ SAGE has a lot of different programs that might have funding availability , so we want permission to work with Frank [ Zuber ]. Whatever access we need , maybe we take a look and see if there is anything out there we can scare up that might provide some additional funding ,” Vettese said .
Vettese added that ARH will do whatever it can to generate more funding for the town and may even search for federal aid programs through SAGE .
Vettese also reported that ARH received a letter from the Pinelands Commission stating that they have no jurisdiction over the required mesh screen replacement project on Well No . 4 of the town ’ s water department , which was forwarded to the state for further review .
CORRECTION : Hammonton Planning Board Chairman Edward Marinelli ’ s last name was spelled incorrectly in a headline of The Gazette ’ s January 25 edition . The Gazette regrets the error .