Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • August 26, 2009 Franklin Lakes Business district sewer plan mulled by borough by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Council is considering a sanitary sewer plan for the business district that has been proposed by the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority, which owns and operates a 16.8 million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility in Waldwick. The authority currently provides sanitary sewer service to 11 municipalities in Northwest Bergen County. James Kelly, a professional engineer and head of the environmental department at Boswell Engineering, the borough’s engineering firm, recently presented the council with a summary of the NBCUA’s proposal. Kelly advised that a pumping station would be constructed at the Franklin Crossing Shopping Center to pump the sewage flow along Pulis Avenue to the Chapel Road connection to the existing interceptor in Mahwah. The NBCUA would provide for the regional transport of sewage to the plant in Waldwick for processing and disposal. Kelly emphasized, however, the NBCUA is not in the local sewage collection business, and the municipality would have to construct and operate the collection sewers. The NBCUA portion of the $7.1 million estimated total project cost, according to Kelly, would be $3.9 million, while the borough’s cost for the collection sewers would be approximately $3.2 million. The three sewer collection system areas would be in the central business district on Franklin Avenue, the Susquehanna Avenue and the Mountain Shadow condominium complex areas, and the Commerce Street commercial area. The sewer plan would eliminate six small treatment plants at the Franklin Crossing Shopping Center and the Horizon at Franklin Lakes housing complex on Franklin Avenue, the Franklin Square Shopping Center on Franklin Avenue near Pulis Avenue, the Franklin Avenue Middle School at the corner of Franklin and Pulis avenues, the Franklin Lakes Shopping Plaza on the north side of Franklin Avenue, and the Mountain Shadows condominium complex. Kelly told the council the NBCUA has estimated the collection system debt service and operating and maintenance costs, and the NBCUA treatment costs would be approximately $945 per year to the new Franklin Lakes users. In addition, the NBCUA has a one-time sewer connection fee of $1,750 per EDU, or equivalent dwelling unit. Each user would also be responsible for the cost of the lateral connection from the property to the sewer in the street. Kelly said the NBCUA design of the potential Franklin Lakes collection sewers was completed in 2008 and an application has been made to the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust for stimulus funds and low interest loans. The project is not approved for grants, he advised, but he said it is eligible for loans of 75 percent of the cost at zero interest, and loans for 25 percent of the cost at market rate interest. He said he anticipates finalizing loan documentation this fall in order to bid the NBCUA project early in 2010. But the borough must first assemble a team to include policy, (continued on page 23) Frame Your Summer Memories! Come See Our Gift Line of Hours: Tues-Fri 10-5:30, Sat 9-4:30 27 East Prospect St. • Waldwick 201-670-7666 • www.LetsFrame.com The Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce 8-12-09----Let’sFrameItSummer3x-3col x 3” Mike for PROOF... from Janine ��������������� ���������� ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � � ����������� ����������������������� ������������������ ������������������������������������������������ ��������������������������������������� ���������������������������� ����������������� ���������������������������� ���������������������������������������������� ������������������������� ������������������������� ������������