River Edge to Seek Bids for New Generator

On Monday night, the River Edge Council approved a motion allowing the borough clerk to seek bids for a new public safety building generator.

On behalf of a request by Councilman Edward Mignone, who was absent, Borough Administrator/CFO Alan Negreann asked the mayor and council to consider a motion to authorize the borough clerk to go out for bids.

“He’s recommending a base bid for both buildings and to the 275 level with an alternate for 175 for the public safety building,” Negreann said. “If the council approves that tonight, then we would have a resolution passed authorizing the clerk to go out to bid on the 21st, and he would make sure that the professional has the bid documents ready for the 21st,” Negreann said.

In February, engineer Kenneth DelPercio : install a 250-kilowatt generator that would power both the municipal hall and the police department or a 175-kilowatt system to cover only the police department.

REGULATIONS PROPOSED FOR HOME GENERATORS

Also during Monday’s meeting, borough attorney Saverio Cereste discussed a draft for a generator ordinance that specified that resident-owned generators be located on a property's side yard or rear yard. It also detailed parameters for decibel levels, which would be suspended during a declared emergency.

Mayor Sandy Moscaritolo said that Mignone had questions for Cereste about the setback requirements and decibel levels, and whether or not they should be changed or modified.

Moscaritolo said the discussion could continue at the next meeting. He also brought up the question of whether residents could declare their own emergency when they want to turn on their generator.

When asked why this ordinance was proposed, Cereste said there have been 120 permits for generators so far, “and they seem to be growing.”

“So I think you have to have some regulation,” Cereste continued. “Most municipalities are in the process of drafting generator ordinances because it’s been so abundant, and the shortages and the outages have been more prevalent.”

SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE

Parks and Recreation Director Bobbi Conway addressed the council about details involving a proposed Special Events Committee.

Moscaritolo began the discussion by stating that he and Councilman Alphonse Bartelloni thought that the borough needed such a committee.

“If an event is not handled by the Rec., then the only other committee we have is the Fourth of July Committee, which is why there is a proposal now to rename the Fourth of July Committee as the Special Events Committee and to expand it for other events that we have in town, such as our Volunteer Day, our concert, the Welcome Back Day, River Edge Day, other days such as the Memorial Day Parade, the Veterans Day Parade, and other events,” Moscaritolo said.

Conway offered suggestions for additional members who could make up the committee, including a River Dell High School student, school district teacher who lives in town, residents with children and seniors.

“I put these people down because we need new blood; we need new ideas,” she said.

Bartelloni said any interested resident could apply to be on the commission and that the descriptions offered by Conway for possible committee members were just considerations.

Conway clarified that the Recreation Commission will continue to sponsor the River Edge Run, Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween Parade and the Holiday Lighting Ceremony.

In an answer to Councilman Thomas Papaleo’s question about why these events are excluded from the Special Events Committee, Conway said that the Recreation Department has been handling them for 25-30 years, “and as a recreation-sponsored event that we’ve been handling for all these years, I don’t see any reason for the Special Events Committee to take it over,” she said.

The council made a motion to put the Special Events Committee for a formal resolution.