WMUA declines to take builders' connection fees
Action may delay work on apartment complex in Marlboro
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

MARLBORO - The developers of a 90-unit apartment complex on Route 9 north near Union Hill Road have been denied the final step in the sewer approval process they needed in order to begin construction on the development.

The Western Monmouth Utilities Authority (WMUA) Board of Commissioners voted on Feb. 22 to refuse to accept connection fees on the age-restricted rental apartment complex known as Marlboro Grande.

The developers were granted a use variance and a density variance for the project from the Zoning Board of Adjustment in December 2004; they received preliminary and final site plan approval for the project in August 2005.

The WMUA, based in Manalapan, operates an advanced wastewater sewage treatment plant that provides sewer service to 25,000 residential customers in Manalapan, Marlboro, Englishtown and Freehold Township.

The commissioners' decision not to accept the connection fees was the result of circumstances surrounding the indictments of former WMUA Executive Director Frank Abate and the developers of Marlboro Grande, Steve Meiterman, Bernard Meiterman and Edward Kay.

Abate is under federal indictment for allegations that include having entities connected to the WMUA perform work on his home in Marlboro in exchange for work with the authority.

Kay and the Meiterman brothers have been indicted on federal charges that they bribed Abate to gain favor in getting sewer service for their projects in Marlboro.

Abate and the Meitermans are also accused of obstructing a grand jury investigation into these charges.

In comments to the News Transcript, WMUA spokesman Jeff Meyer said Marlboro Grande has received preliminary, tentative and final approval for the project from the authority.

"They have not, however, been granted a permit by the state Department of Transportation to install a force main into the Central Jersey interceptor, a key component of the approval process. Without that permit, the project is not yet ready to be considered for connection into the WMUA treatment system, the last step in the WMUA's approval process," Meyer said. "To be clear, the commissioners are not willing to consider this connection, or its accompanying fees, until the completion of the Meiterman criminal trial."

According to a press release provided by the WMUA on Feb. 26, the commissioners discovered noticeable improprieties and a pattern of financial favor believed to be linked to the Meiterman approvals of the property in question.

The improprieties were discovered after the commissioners interviewed the project engineer and the collections supervisor and reviewed the timeline of benefits that were allegedly given to Abate, according to the press release.

The specific events that led to the commissioners' decision are as follows:

+ Abate's decision to cap the Meitermans' sewer infrastructure costs associated with the Marlboro Grande at $50,000, which the commissioners said are only a portion of the total costs.

+ Abate's decision to change interceptors and drainage basins, which the commissioners said is a policy decision that should have been approved by the board.

+ The timing of these decisions coinciding with alleged payments made by the Meitermans for home improvements on Abate's residence.

"The commissioners feel strongly that Mr. Abate's decisions were made to curry financial favor with the Meitermans, not to further the interests of the WMUA and its ratepayers. The commissioners voted unanimously to refuse to accept connection fees on Marlboro Grande pending an outcome of the Meitermans' trial. As a result, the senior housing project will be left without sewer service," according to the press release.

In comments to the News Transcript, Meyer said although the commissioners have the authority to rescind the approvals granted for the project, they chose not to since not taking action on the connection fees has been able to effectively place the construction of Marlboro Grande on hold, which he said was the goal of the commissioners.

When asked if the commissioners were aware of Abate's decisions at the time of the approvals, Meyer said Abate unilaterally decided to make these decisions without the knowledge of the commissioners. Abate made a policy decision and a financial decision in connection with this project that he was not authorized to make, according to Meyer.

Attorney Steven Tripp, who represented the Meitermans during previous Marlboro Grande litigation with Marlboro, did not respond to an e-mail question regarding his clients' next step in the matter.