Brick Setting Aside $2.2M for First Phase of Public Works Center Improvements

The Brick Township Public Works and recycling facility at Ridge Road, Spring 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Brick Township officials on Tuesday night introduced an ordinance that would provide more than $2 million in bond funding for the start of a major upgrade project at the Public Works facility on Ridge Road that will last multiple years.

Known colloquially as “the hill,” the sprawling complex includes drop-off points for a plethora of materials, but also houses the Public Works Department as a whole. The township’s recycling and sanitation trucks are stationed there, and the building has been heavily used for about 50 years, officials said. Current plans call for the Buildings and Grounds crew to be based there as well.

The $2.2 million appropriation ordinance, which would be supported by $2,090,000 in bonds, was introduced without opposition Tuesday night. It will be subject to a public hearing before final passage at the next council meeting. Councilwoman Melissa Travers said the initial $2.2 million will fund the replacement of all fuel tanks at the site, performing the site work required for future construction, and the design and engineering of a renovated Public Works building that would upgrade the half-century-old existing structure.

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Further improvements during future phases of the project, Travers said, include the renovations to the building and the vehicle maintenance garage, as well as incorporating space for the township’s Buildings and Grounds crew. A truck wash is also planned for the site.

The need for replacement was identified as the township struggled to meet new state requirements governing the washing of large trucks. Brick, like most towns, utilized a private company to perform the washing, which is subject to complex environmental regulations. Officials said the costs of contracting for the wash station have risen steadily, prompting officials to consider investing in the township’s own wash facility. The wash facility would be part of the overall renovation or replacement effort.

The Brick Township Public Works facility on Ridge Road. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The Brick Township Public Works and recycling facility at Ridge Road, Spring 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

“That started the discussion about getting our own, which in turn got us thinking about how long that building has been there and how long it has been since it was improved,” Business Administrator Joanne Bergin previously said. Additionally, the township’s Parks and Recreation Department has no home base at all, with its personnel and vehicles scattered across township facilities. That department will also be housed at the Ridge Road facility under the ultimately plan.

The Public Works facility has drawn significant praise from the community for decades – it once even included a small petting zoo for children – and is open daily to collect bulk items, metal goods and recyclables, as well as leaves and debris at no cost to residents. Twice yearly, the facility also allows residential construction material disposal and occasionally hosts county-led HAZMAT collections. These services will continue regardless of the plan for the building on-site, Bergin said.