Fanwood Continues Talks on Capital Improvements

After going approximately two years without any capital improvements, the borough of Fanwood has decided that much-needed upgrades to its municipal building can no longer be ignored.

Concerns about the building’s condition have been raised at previous meetings, but talks continued during Tuesday night’s council session.

Mayor Colleen Mahr said that the borough will start soon on a facilities report that will fully examine what upgrades need to be made to all borough buildings.

"We will probably look to gather the necessary quotes for the study over the next 30 to 45 days," Mahr said. “It's hard to say. I think the study itself will take a couple of weeks. Once they're hired, we would probably look for a written report within a few weeks."

At the June 17 council meeting, Councilwoman Joan Wheeler stated that she was “appalled” by the conditions she found during a tour of borough hall, which was built in the early 1980s. Wheeler said one of the most critical concerns was water that is seeping into the basement through one of the walls. The water could cause a dangerous condition because it is leaking into an area that contains an electrical panel that services the rest of the building, she said.

“It’s been two or three years since we've done any capital projects, and I can’t help but think that some of what I saw (on the tour of the borough hall facility) wasn’t related to putting off major projects,” Wheeler said after the June 17 meeting. “We really need some planning for the building.”

Chief Financial Officer Fred Tompkins has said that the borough has approximately $950,000 available to spend for capital expenses. Mahr expected the final number would be determined in a few days.

"I would say the final number won't be nailed down until another day or two," she said.

While the council is considering several other capital projects in addition to the changes to borough hall, Mahr said that next year’s budget continues to be reduced, and that only certain projects will be funded.

“We kept the road, curbing and sidewalk program, because that’s part of our infrastructure that we need to keep up with,” she said. “We’re still on it, but it’s significantly pared down from the last meeting.”

Mahr said that each municipal department makes requests for funding, and the council then discusses whether or not it feels comfortable with the funding based on the request.

"The first things that go to the top of the list are projects that are associated with grant dollars,” she said. “Usually there are timeline schedules that have to be met with the grant money, so you don't want to be in jeopardy of losing that, and a large majority of our grant money is tied to road projects. Those tend to go up to the top of the pile.”

Mahr said her goal is to introduce the capital budget at the council’s July 14 meeting, and schedule a public meeting on it sometime in early August. The budget year extends from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, and the borough is working on a temporary budget.

"You work on a temporary budget and you fund what you need month to month," Mahr said.