Following the Alexander Road Bridge closure in July, the township also saw the beginning of two other long-anticipated major projects around town this summer.##M:[more]##
On August 4 a “water breaking” ceremony was held at Grover’s Mill Pond, where dredging and restoration has begun. The $4.97 million project, which is being managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and performed by Select Transportation Inc. of Ohio, is intended to restore the pond ecosystem to sustain the wildlife native to the area.
The pond currently lacks adequate amounts of oxygen in the water column because of silt and sediment that has built up over the past 250 years, which has fueled excessive aquatic plant growth and increased water temperatures. The project entails removing approximately 50,”000 cubic yards of silt and organic matter from the bottom of the existing pond, without draining the pond.
The silt is being piped to an 11-acre confined disposal facility located on township-owned property near the upstream end of the pond. The dredging and water work is scheduled to be completed at the end of October. By the end of November, trailers and all work equipment should be removed, and fencing will be moved to the other side of the macadam path so that it only encompasses the dredged materials in the containment area. The material dredged from the pond will remain there for a year, while being monitored, to dry out.
The township also saw the groundbreaking of the first phase of expansion project at the township’s senior center on August 13.
The first phase of construction will include renovations to the existing building, five additional classroom or meeting rooms, bathrooms, and more storage space. The $1,”185,”000 contract for the first phase was awarded to Tri-Form Construction Inc. of Metuchen in June for the first phase.
The township received six bids for the project, after the expansion project was redesigned into phases and re-bid for a third time because the two previous rounds of bids came in higher than anticipated.
Tri-Form Construction was the lower bidder, with a base bid of $1,”086,”000. The council unanimously voted to award the contract in June. The contract also includes funding for a solar panel system on the addition, costing $97,”900.
A $500,”000 grant from the county, through County Executive Brian Hughes; a $100,”000 grant through Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein; and $50,”000 from the state Department of Community Affairs helped fund the project, with the rest coming from township funding.
Officials say expansion is needed because there is a lack of space for activities held for the township’s growing senior population. Hsueh said during the ceremony that he hopes the township will see the second phase of construction begin in 2010.
The National Institute of Senior Centers reaccredited the senior center last September. It is one of only 145 accredited centers in the United States, and one of only two in the state.
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said that officials are making arrangements for some of the senior center’s programs to be spread to different township venues, like the fire company’s building, during the expansion process. He said he expects the senior center will only be partially closed as the project moves forward. “We don’t want to see the programs cut,” he says. “They will continue. People will just have to pay attention to the changes for locations” of certain programs, he said. Construction on the first phase is expected to take 10 months to a year.
Tigers To WW. A groundbreaking ceremony was also held at Carnegie Center for the new Princeton University administrative service building to be built in West Windsor earlier this month.
The four-story, 120,”000-square foot office building will sit on seven acres of land on the west side of Route 1 and will house the university’s Office of Information Technology and the Office of the Treasurer. The facility will be owned by Boston Properties and leased by the university.
Located adjacent to the Princeton Overlook property, the building will contain meeting rooms, offices, a cafeteria, an outdoor terrace for dining, and a fitness center.
