Vernon passes bond ordinance

VERNON — The Vernon Township Council on Tuesday approved a million-dollar bond ordinance that will be used to complete a number of upgrade projects throughout the town.
According to the ordinance, a total of $1,614,500 will be appropriated to fund equipment upgrades for the township Police Department, improvements to Sammis Road and Lake Wallkill Road and repairs to the township municipal building. The money will also be used to purchase a total of seven new vehicles for the Department of Public Works, Police Department, Building Department, Tax Assessor and Animal Control.
A total of $1,307,000 of the $1.6 million will come from the issuance of new bonds, according to the ordinance.
The unanimous approval of the measure followed emotional pleas from residents of Lake Wallkill Road urging the council to pass the ordinance so repairs can finally be made to their road.
Lake Wallkill Road residents said the condition of the pavement is “deplorable” and said driver efforts to avoid areas of severe deterioration have created a “life and death” situation on certain stretches of the road. One resident presented the council with an over-sized hubcap he said flew 35 feet off a tractor trailer and into his neighbor’s yard when the vehicle hit a pot hole on the road.
Approximately $462,000 has been allotted in the ordinance to repave Lake Wallkill Road and other streets in the township.
Though they voted in favor of the bond ordinance on Monday, Councilmen Dick Wetzel and Patrick Rizzuto originally opposed the measure when it was introduced at the council’s May 23 meeting. Rizzuto previously focused his arguments against the bond ordinance on the council's failure to move forward with expansion plans for the township's water and sewer system.
Rizzuto addressed his change of heart following the vote.
“My presence here was not to create an issue or divisiveness,” Rizzuto said. “My reasoning for doing this was simply to bring to light the inability of this council to make a decision on a crucial, crucial area of infrastructure that this township so vitally needs.”
The council took action Monday on several items related to the sewer system, authorizing $9,700 for an independent review of the project contracts and hiring a conflict attorney to handle Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA)-related issues in lieu of township attorney John Ursin.
The council, however, tabled a resolution that would have approved the submission of an expanded sewer map to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and given the go-ahead for the MUA to explore the mapped expansion area.
In voting to table the measure, Councilwoman Jean Murphy said the area covered in the expansion map had changed significantly from the time it was originally introduced to the Council in December 2015.

Appalachian Trail follow up

According to the Mayor’s report, read by Business Administrator Charles Voelker in Mayor Harry Shortway’s absence, the township is planning to install additional warning signage around the area of the Appalachian Trail crossing on Route 517.
Council president Dan Kadish said the council would also look into the suggestion from a member of the public that the county install rumble strips on road leading up to the trail crossing to help slow passing vehicles.
The DEP is also looking at placing a portable toilet near the trail head to prevent visiting hikers from defecating and urinating on nearby residents’ lawns, Voelker said.