Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • March 18, 2009 Midland Park The medical urology group at 4 Godwin Ave. in Midland Park is seeking to double its facility at the corner of Maltbie Avenue to provide a Medicare-certified surgical center. The designation would allow the group to offer anesthesia on premises, thus allowing more advanced procedures to be performed in house, according to Dr. Richard Baum, one of the partners in the group. Urology Group Realty is seeking permission from the Midland Park Planning Board to demolish an existing residential structure adjacent to the medical office building and erect a one-story addition to the existing corner building. The 3,145 sq. ft. addition would be nearly equal in size to the existing brick building of 3,342 sq. ft. A 1,190 sq. ft. basement would also be added to house mechanical units, including a diesel generator. The existing parking for 19 cars would be increased to 28. A driving aisle accessed from Maltbie Avenue would be provided to the rear of the building addition, where ambulance access and additional parking will be located. Borough ordinances require 141 parking spaces for the proposed 7,677 sq. ft. building. The applicant is proposing a 25 ft. front yard setback and a 12.7 ft. sideyard on the westerly side of the property. The original plan presented to the board at its February meeting proposed building the structure up to the property line. Urology group seeks to add surgical center Dr. Baum said that his practice is one of very few that cannot offer anesthesia for office procedures, a convenience for patients. He said that if the surgical unit is approved, out-patient procedures would be scheduled as a block, which would increase efficiency and allow the doctors to curtail their office schedule from five days a week to three and a half. He said that he did not anticipate the patient load of 75 patients per day to increase. To questions from residents, Dr. Baum added that the economics of the new facility would work because the doctor can charge Medicare up to $450 for a procedure under general anesthesia in the new center, versus a more modest charge for local anesthesia. The practice now consists of six physicians and a support staff of 20, he said. An anesthesiologist would be added for the new center on an as-needed basis, he said. Short procedures requiring general anesthesia, such as kidney stones, are now performed at hospitals in Paramus or Newark, he said. According to Architect Robert Zaccone, the surgical center would offer a waiting area, a sterile operating room, three post-anesthesia recovery stations, a Stage 2 recovery (continued on page 24) ����� ���� ����� ��� Absolute Beginner ������������ ������ Bridge Lesson Wednesday, April 22 • 12:45 pm West Side Presbyterian Church 6 S. 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She said the larger drainage system in that development feeds into older, smaller pipes on Payne Avenue and Hill Street, which cannot handle the flow. She said manhole covers blow out under pressure, and yards, summer kitchens and basements in the area flood regularly. Borough Engineer Michael DeSena noted in a report based on his preliminary findings that problems are likely caused by “insufficient capacity of the system and the hydraulic losses associated with the sharp horizontal bends”, a 90-degree curve on Hill Street and another in an easement as the water runs towards East Center Street. DeSena said that DPW personnel recently replaced the Engineer to study Hill Street drainage manhole cover with a grate cover to allow the runoff to bubble out of the casting. He also said that the system’s hydraulic condition had likely been worsened by severe blockage caused by an old bicycle recently found in a catch basin and removed. Borough Administrator Michelle Dugan pointed out that the study has to look at the entire system, not just the Hill Street area. “There are a number of areas draining into this inadequate system” said Dugan. “We have to look at it from the top of Chamberlain down.” Mayor Joseph Monahan stressed that any calculations in the engineering study should be done to include the 100-year flood to make sure any pipes installed are large enough. “We only want to open the street once,” he said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” The mayor also said that the engineer should discuss the issues with residents who are affected by the flooding. “Everything is well documented,” Peet said. 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