Council awards contract for soil cleanup on fields
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO - The Township Council has awarded a contract for the cleanup of contaminated soil on soccer fields at the municipal complex. Work is expected to begin in the near future.

The council awarded the contract for the soil remediation project during its meeting on June 26 to Enterprise Network Resolutions Contracting, LLC, of Winslow, Camden County, which submitted an aggregate bid amount not to exceed $171,020. The company was determined to be the lowest responsible bidder.

The bid submitted by Enterprise Network Resolutions Contracting contained a base bid amount of $156,620 as well as two alternate bid amounts which estimated costs for the installation of sod on the playing fields ($14,400), or seeding, fertilizing and mulching the fields ($4,860).

Business Administrator Alayne Shepler previously said Marlboro has received money from the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund to conduct the soil remediation at the soccer complex.

Birdsall Engineering gave the recommendation for awarding the bid to include placing sod on the fields, with the understanding that the fields would be usable by late summer. In the case of seeding, the fields would remain out of service until the spring or summer of 2009.

The contract award given to Enterprise Network Resolutions Contracting allows for the installation of sod on the playing fields.

Higher than average levels of the naturally occurring contaminant toxaphene were found in the soil at the municipal complex's soccer fields behind the Marlboro Middle School, Route 520, during work for the Marlboro Township Park Improvements, Phase II.

The Marlboro Township Park Improvements, Phase II, is a project started under the administration of former Mayor Robert Kleinberg (2004-07), which included the installation of a synthetic turf athletic field at the municipal complex and improvements to the municipal soccer fields behind the Marlboro Middle School.

As of September 2007 the entire improvement project was estimated to cost $2.6 million.

Birdsall Engineering, the former township engineer which started the park improvement project, discovered the soil contamination.

At the June 26 meeting the council also approved a contract between the township and Birdsall Engineering to have that firm complete the work associated with the soil remediation. The contract is for an amount not to exceed $12,500.

Mayor Jonathan Hornik said at the meeting that Birdsall Engineering would continue the work rather than CME Associates, the current township engineer, at the suggestion from CME Associates which noted that it would not be cost-effective for them to take over the work already started by Birdsall Engineering.