Alex Roman
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Question 3: Verona has many infrastructure issues that require immediate attention. Which ones would you focus on first and why, and what would be the benefits of doing so?
Verona, like so many other older municipalities in the US, has aging infrastructure that needs constant attention. We do our best to be proactive and invest the community’s money wisely on maintenance and modernization. The Council may not always agree on everything, but it is very rare that an infrastructure project is not unanimously supported.
I believe in hands-on oversight as an elected official. Every year in June I set up a weekday walkthrough of all of the facilities of the township in which the Town Manager and I visit each facility and talk with the maintenance staff. I’ve always found that to be very valuable in evaluating the condition of our physical plant. At my job I am responsible for the physical plant and manage our maintenance program and vendors and develop the capital and operating budget to support that program. I’ve developed and personally managed projects such as remodeling of 55,000 square feet of office space and major rebuilds of mechanical plants serving commercial and industrial facilities. This professional experience helps me serve Verona and ensure that we take care of publicly-owned assets.
We have many major capital needs and have been trying to complete them while managing our debt service. To me the single most critical item is our Wastewater Treatment Plant. While this facility may be out-of-sight, out-of-mind for most of our residents, it is a piece of critical public health infrastructure and is subject to regulation by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This plant must run continuously to prevent sewer backups and discharges of untreated sewage into the Peckman River. Unfortunately, it is badly aging and will need upgrades in the very near future. At my last visit I noted pieces of equipment that were out of service and in need of replacement. We are waiting on a report from our consulting engineers to give us guidance on a long-term upgrade plan for this plant to meet the requirements of our permits and maintain it in a state of good repair. This will be an extensive effort by the Township and its staff to manage this project. We also could obtain a financial benefit from improving the energy efficiency of this plant, which is the largest energy consumer of any of our operations. Much of its machinery and equipment predates modern efficiency standards and upgrades will have both an environmental and economic benefit.
Our wastewater collection system also requires attention. Sewage and stormwater are collected by service lines and trunk lines under our streets that are subject to clogs, root intrusion, and occasional failure from road conditions or storms. The Public Works department regularly maintains these lines but recent storms have overwhelmed the system at times. In the past we would frequently do reconstruction projects of roadways that included replacement of underground lines as well as curbs and sidewalks. Recently we have only been resurfacing those roads, but have also seen frequent water main breaks and sewer backups so there is reason to consider full reconstructions where it is warranted. We have discussed a project to re-line some of the major trunk lines that carry the most flow. This project would help mitigate flood risk for many of our residents and is also a priority.
We also own and operate our own water supply system including wells, tanks, and a distribution system. We have made good progress with rehabilitating our water tanks and acquiring new tank capacity where it is available. We have explored acquiring and redeveloping additional wells to expand our water supply capacity. This again is a long-term project requiring engineering and regulatory applications. The water we pump from our own wells is much less costly than what we buy from the Passaic Valley Water Commission. An increase in well capacity will help keep resident water bills down in the long term and is worth exploring.
Above ground, we have needs as well. We’ve frequently discussed the buildings for our Fire Department and Rescue Squad. Both Fire Station #2 and the Rescue Squad buildings are aging structures that do not meet the needs of these dedicated volunteer organizations. The Fire Station in particular is too small to adequately house the equipment assigned to it, and the building has structural issues due to foundation settlement. It is a challenge in our heavily-developed community to find land that is properly located to meet our response time objectives and not intrude upon a neighborhood. I expect that we will need to replace at least one of these buildings within the next five years. Our volunteers serve the town very well and we need to be supportive of them in return.
We also have numerous day-to-day capital needs. We aggressively pave roads in the township but there is always more to be done. I have pressed for various aging streets to get attention. Road paving is a bit like painting a bridge – by the time we make our way through the entire town, it will be time to go back to the beginning and start again. This has to be an ongoing commitment to maintain our roadways in good condition. We also routinely replace and purchase new equipment for the Public Works Department to increase their efficiency. In the last few years we bought a new backhoe, front end loader, mini-excavator, and street sweeper for their use along with various trucks and other smaller equipment. Adequately equipping this team makes them more efficient and saves us on manpower. I am committed to continuing to support Public Works as they provide excellent service to our community.
I firmly believe that a principal responsibility of our government is to maintain publicly-owned facilities and do my best to prevent Verona from falling into a state of disrepair. At the same time I am cognizant of the cost of debt service and try to pace our spending and get the most benefit from every dollar we spend. If re-elected I will continue to work hands-on with our Town Manager, Chief Financial Officer, and our Public Works, Buildings and Grounds, and Water and Wastewater departments to meet our goals of well-maintained infrastructure and excellent public services.
