COUNTY — The Union County Board of County Commissioners announced last week that it intends to embark on a comprehensive, $57.6 million capital improvement campaign that will allow the county to purchase new vehicles and equipment, fund various equipment upgrades and support changes to the county’s technical infrastructure among other projects.
At its August 17 meeting, the Commissioner Board voted by unanimous decision to introduce a $46,196,196 bond ordinance to fund the majority of its improvements. According to information provided by the county, the remaining $11,390,686 will be provided through state-issued grant funding.
Included in the project’s total appropriations will be a new portable stage for community events (valued at $353,500); new information and telecommunications equipment for use by multiple county-level departments ($1,919,000); and a new parking lot slated for construction on Spring Street in Elizabeth ($116,150). The project, if approved, will also allocate $11,993,750 in bond funding for the demolition and eventual reconstruction of the existing county parking deck on Elizabethtown Plaza.
The project as presented also calls for a $1.5 million appropriation to the Department of Engineering, Public Works and Facilities Management that will be used to purchase new equipment and machinery.
The County’s Department of Parks and Recreation, meanwhile, is expected to receive about $7.5 million to fund new maintenance equipment and various park improvements including renovations to the Ash Brook Golf Course and the Deserted Village.
The county also intends to allocate $14,533,900 of its total project financing to road, intersection, bridge and culvert improvements throughout the county and will spend another $6,161,000 on environmental monitoring and remediation at various storage tank sites, former landfill sites and other County-owned facilities.
Another $4.6 million will be earmarked for upgrades to Union College’s physical education facility and Union County Vocational-Technical Schools will receive about $1.4 million that will be used for various upgrades and improvements to school facilities.
The Commissioner Board also presented several local residents with honorary resolutions during its regular meeting last week to thank them for finding creative ways to help their communities in times of need.
The first proclamation was issued to 10-year-old Ben Steinberg, a Scotch Plains-Fanwood student who helped to raise $5,000 that will be used to create a new disability awareness section in his school library.
Ben, who was born with cerebral palsy, said Thursday that his family has always helped him to find his voice and realize his dreams.
A public hearing for the newly introduced bond ordinance will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 7 at the County Administration Building located at 10 Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth.
