Six purchases totalling $160,000 are on tomorrow night’s agenda. The items are for a bandstand, trees, a bicycle initiative, and recreational baseball, basketball & volleyball equipment.
Four months ago the governing body applied for a $77,070 matching 2018 Union County Kids Recreation Trust Fund Grant which would have the municipality pay the other half of the $154,140 price tag. Eventually, only $35,000 was awarded by the Union County Kids Recreation Trust Fund Grant.
At that time, the five (5) purchases requested were:
- The acquisition of various items and equipment to maintain and expand the services provided to the community through its basketball program;
- The acquisition of various items and equipment to start a volleyball league, thereby expanding the recreational opportunities offered to the community;
- The acquisition of covers and rollers for the local baseball and softball fields in order to maintain the quality of facilities offered to the community;
- Furthering the Borough’s connectivity initiatives by creating a bikeable and walkable community through the acquisition of bicycle racks, as well as the installation of long-lasting delineative striping on the Borough’s existing bicycle path;
- The acquisition of a mobile bandstand and associated equipment to improve and expand the Borough’s recreational events, concerts, and outdoor programs.
$5,000 was added for trees which had a match of $5,000 already in the capital budget. $6,000 is budgeted for Rec volleyball. $8,300 will be for Rec baseball equipment. $21,000 will go towards the Recreation Committee’s basketball program, $18,840 will be for the bicycle initiative, and $100,000 is estimated for a bandstand.
Starting most notably with the Roselle Park Arts Festival in 2015 when the Union County Board Of Freeholders donated the use of a bandstand for the popular annual event. Ever since then, arrangements had been made with the county to have the bandstand available for the arts festival. Then, last year, there was an issue and the bandstand was not available. The governing body through Mayor Carl Hokanson acquired use of a bandstand from Union Township. Of that had not been arranged, there would have been no bandstand for last year’s festival.
It was this dilemma which, in part, led to looking into acquiring a bandstand for use by the municipality who could, in turn, rent or lend it out to other organizations or municipalities.
Funds for the purchases will come from the $35,000 Union County Kids Recreation Trust Fund Grant and $5,000 from Union County Greening Grant. The bulk of the rest – $120,000 – will be from capital surplus. This is amount is from capital projects from previous years that were deemed completed and have funds left over.
Ordinance 2559 will have its public hearing and vote by the governing body at tomorrow night’s municipal meeting at 110 East Westfield Avenue which will start at 7 p.m.
Download RP Ordinance 2559