Roosevelt's water tower repair could cost $1M-2M
Council appropriates $154,000 for water/sewer plant upgrades
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

ROOSEVELT - Fixing the water tower may cost a lot more than borough officials initially thought.

The tower is an original part of the 1935 design for Jersey Homesteads, which is what the borough was initially called, and was constructed on North Valley Road in 1937, according to Borough Engineer Carmella Roberts. The tank holds either 75,000 or 87,000 gallons, Roberts said, adding that she's leaning toward the lower number.

In January, Roberts told the council that the tower, which supplies water to the entire town, had been inspected and was found to be in poor condition. She told officials that the tower should be repaired or replaced immediately, because its parts are no longer functioning as designed.

Due to the aged condition of the tower, Roberts recommended replacing it and said doing so would cost about $690,000 for a 200,000-gallon tank.

Roberts also provided costs for repairing the tower and estimated it would cost $300,000, with an additional cost of $50,000 for a temporary water tank.

Councilman and Utilities Committee Chairman Robert Silverstein said last week that the council has been exploring all of its options regarding either replacing or repairing the 70-year-old water tower.

Silverstein said that the borough's Finance Committee has looked into all the associated costs, and estimated it would cost approximately $1 million to repair the tower and $2 million to replace it. Additional costs include design fees, engineering fees and piping costs, he said.

Silverstein said that both cost options would burden the 300 households in Roosevelt.

Replacing the tower would take a month, while repairing it would take a week, according to Silverstein.

Repair of the tower would include sandblasting and painting the inside, he said. However, until the tank is drained, Silverstein said, the borough will not know the exact condition the tank is in. He said that divers recently tried to inspect the inside of the tank but found it murky.

There is a crack in the tower's foundation, and its supports are rusted, according to Silverstein.

The town has not yet hired a structural engineer to see if repairing the tower is feasible, according to Silverstein.

In related utility news, the Borough Council authorized a bond ordinance on June 28 for improvements to the borough's water and wastewater plant. The council appropriated $154,000 for the improvements, of which bonds and notes would finance $146,600.

Councilman Jeff Ellentuck said the funding is necessary for items that the plant will need over the next couple of years. He said the amount cited in the ordinance is a best estimate of the amount the borough will need and does not necessarily reflect exactly how much will be spent.