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Township, School May Partner On Shared Garage
By Catherine Galioto
As the fleets of township and school vehicles grow to larger numbers, both entities could choose to build their own garage.
Or, the township and the board of education could create a shared service agreement and build one structure for both agencies' vehicles.
Mayor Stephen Acropolis is suggesting the township do just that, and the township council liked the idea, which was discussed at the council's caucus meeting this week.
"We don't want to have three mechanical buildings in town, where everyone has their own little fiefdom," Acropolis said. "We're putting up a building, the board of ed. is putting up a building - instead, let's share and save some money."
Because the township and school offices are in close proximity, it could work out nicely, that one building, whether it be a pole barn or garage, could serve both, Acropolis said.
The board of education has about 200 vehicles, while the township - including police vehicles - has a fleet of about 360, township administrator Scott Pezarras said.
The structure could be a set of bays to protect vehicles and it could add mechanic's space to service them, officials said. Acropolis said this could also free up space across the street from the municipal complex, on the school's property.
In order to make this happen, the board of education and the township council would have to approve a shared services agreement, which Acropolis is working on now.
The proposal may not stop with vehicles. He said he wants the township to use shared services as much as possible, as it works to save money and is more efficient than maintaining separate functions.
Councilwoman Ruthanne Scaturro asked if it was possible to incorporate the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority (BTMUA) into the plans. Housing some of their vehicles across town from their operations might not be feasible for the BTMUA, Acropolis said.
Council President Michael Thulen was interested in how large such a structure might be. A 40-by-60 foot building could only house about five more busses.
Councilman Dan Toth said he would like to see some thought put into what vehicles have priority for getting the protection of a bay. He said you'd want to give school buses and police vehicles the priority in order to prolong their use and delay replacement.
Acropolis announced the idea in his mayoral comments.
Arrowhead Park Slated For Improvements
Also during his comments, Acropolis announced that Arrowhead Park is slated for improvements, and the township is having a public meeting to encourage residents to share ideas on what the changes should look like.
In the past, the township distributed surveys to residents neighboring a site slated for construction or improvements. Acropolis said he'd like to expand the scope of comments to include anyone in the neighborhood.
"We want people to come in and give us feedback, fine tuning it to do the design for the park," the mayor said.
The Arrowhead project is one of several parks the township is looking to upgrade. At its meeting last month, the township council approved a bond ordinance to pay for the project. The bond notes fund a $114,950 project, upgrading parks throughout Brick.
"Parks have not been updated or touched from probably late 1980s, early 1990s," Pezarras said. The money will be divided among the township park areas, but is not for construction of new parks. "We need improvements to come into compliance with new recreational standards for insurance purposes," Pezarras said.
At this point, the projects need designs and recommendations, and the money is earmarked for those purposes, he said.
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