Officials Call Emergency Repair at Park Right Move

Township Council will vote Monday night to ratify a $13,453 emergency repair of a water pump at last month.

Public Works director Len Moffa reported to Council during its work session Wednesday night that the damaged pump moves water to the sprinkler system that covers roughly half of the grass at the park.

"It was during that heat wave we had," Moffa said.

Moffa told Council he was concerned the township would "lose the fields" if the emergency expenditure was not immediately authorized, and estimated it would have cost the township $30,000 to $40,000 to replace the park's grass had it died due to lack of watering.

"I'd like to commend Lenny also," Councilman Frank Schmidt said. "We have lost the fields before, when (Moffa) was a supervisor."

The company that repaired the pump's motor, B & F Environmental Drilling, of Blue Anchor, had told Moffa it could not provide an estimate for the job until a crew dug down to the pump's connection at the well, Moffa reported Wednesday.

"In an ideal environment, we would have gotten a second quote or even a third quote," Business Administrator Tom Cardis said.

In response to a question by Councilwoman Crystal Evans about the lack of additional estimates for the work, Moffa responded that expediency was necessary.

"We only have a short window before we start to lose the fields. You have only have three or four days in the summertime before the fields start to burn. It took almost five or six days for them to actually get all the work done. But, if we would've proceeded and gotten other estimates, we would've lost the fields."