Why has the Borough DPW Garage taken so long (original funding was allocated in 1997) to complete? What is the current status?
Lack of direction and professional oversight from the inception of the project has driven the costs of the DPW garage higher. Improper cost estimates, studies upon studies, designs and re-designs and lax Borough oversight have all contributed to the delay in completing this project. Taking this into account, over the past 12 months, there has been both positive and negative movement on the project. The project picked up speed in the summer of 2009, but the quality of the contractor who was running the project was poor. Unfortunately, the State requires that the lowest bidder receive the contract award; and this concept is not synonymous with highest quality. As a result of the many shortfalls of the contractor, they were declared in default of contract on November 6, 2009. Subsequently, the Borough has been actively working with the insurance company for the defaulted contractor in order to rectify any outstanding issues. While this review process was slow, nearly all the issues have b
