French's Landfill Capping Still On Schedule After Find
Drums found at site did not delay progress
Work at the former French's Landfill site off Sally Ike Road in the township's Herbertsville section is continuing, despite an unexpected find.
Just before Christmas, workers at the site uncovered drums containing a substance, but the discovery did not force the project to be stalled. The contents of the drums are now being tested, but it has been confirmed that the substance is some type of oil-based product, according to township Business Administrator Scott Pezarras.
Pezarras said, as part of the landfill's remediation process, crews located various materials underground by using probes and other investigative techniques before the project began. The drums, found in the western portion of the site, had not been previously found by the probes, necessitating the testing.
Township officials who have worked at the site since it became municipal property in the 1970s have told Brick Patch that the landfill itself took in all sorts of refuse ranging from motor oil to septic waste to household trash. The federal Environmental Protection Agency ordered the township to cap the site, a project which started toward the end of last summer.
Pezarras said both the EPA and state Department of Environmental Protection are pleased with how the remediation process at the site is going so far, and have lessened the level of oversight that was present at the start of the capping project.
"They're happy with the way everything's going up there," Pezarras said. "Everything is pretty much on schedule."
Pezarras said the only hiccups that could occur over the winter have to do with the ground becoming frozen, which would delay work at the site. Township officials have entered into an agreement with a Hoboken-based company to build a solar farm at the site once the capping process has been completed.
Mark Story Jenks
6:32 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Hope they test that substance for PCB's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenyl
Don Mulvey
8:12 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Years ago they (the township) had 200 wells capped because of this "SUPERSITE". We were told it was because of tainted ground water and the moving plume. This all happened around the discussion to build the reservoir on Herbertsville road, Just a thought, is this happening again ??
Don Mulvey
8:26 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Oh I forgot to mention, they (the BTMUA) also put in 200 meters on the 200 houses they capped. Bottom line we pay for our outside watering.
BW
8:43 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
I wish they would release the numbers on this, so we know how much our taxes will be going up and how much more debt they are adding.
Seriously, this is the 1st time I can remember, where someone was actually TRYING to max out the credit card.
Daniel Nee
11:11 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Me -- What numbers haven't been released? If you tell me I'll ask about it. It is true that the township will bond for it, but the debt service is to be paid be the redeveloper, not the taxpayers. There's also a $2.5 million upfront payment to the town. All of the numbers were in this article: http://patch.com/A-pCfx
As far as maxing out the credit card, we're more than $300 million below the township's debt capacity, so it should be a little while to say the least ;)
BW
11:51 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Dan, we havent gotten the "real" numbers by far. The company doing the solar panels, does not exist. It is a shell that was set up back in April. There will be no bond just a letter of credit. ANYONE can produce a letter of credit. This stinks worse then the landfill!
As far as debt goes, Stevie and his clowns are doing their best to max out that credit card. After the cap is done, LEASE the property to a solar panel company. This way we would be making money NOT spending it.
Daniel Nee
12:06 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Ah, OK. I can ask about some of that stuff, and look back a little further into the company's paper trail.
Scott Pezarras
10:26 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Me
The way the agreement is structured is the company is using the Twp's credit rating and is responsible to pay all the debt service. The project's revenue model produces a 125% debt coverage ratio, which means for every dollar of debt service there is $1.25 worth of net revenue being produced by the array. Taxes will not increase from this project at all whatever the debt service is the redeveloper will pay it (principal and interest).
We get an upfront lease payment of $2.5 million and $50k to $84k a year for 15 years after the array is producing electricity. In addition to this the Town and the BTMUA will buy power below retail rates with a projected savings to the two entities of $600k per year or $9 million. During the time of operation under the lease the redeveloper will be responsible for all maintenance, including inverter replacement, for 15 years.
After year 15 the array is turned over to the Twp and the Twp collects all the revenue and gets free power for the estimated useful life of the panels or approx. 10 years.
I hope this addresses your questions.
walt tupycia
9:22 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
should build a welcome center there.
Scott Pezarras
10:41 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Me
The Twp is going to be getting a surety bond during the construction of the project, after it is complete the array will be its own surety. This was confirmed by Mr. Faivus this morning. The 23.5 million dollars to build the array is going to be paid back completely by Standard Alternative. If they walk away from the project, the Twp will collect all revenue from the sale of SREC's and get free energy earlier.
As I stated earlier, the debt service coverage in the model is 125% so debt service coverage is not an issue. The redeveloper will be taking the Federal 1603 Grant to fund a debt service reserve for a year's worth of debt service and the balance will be utilized to buy down the note and reduce the permanent financing to $23.5m.
That is a general summary of the redeveloper's agreement, if you have any other questions I will try to answer them.
BW
8:37 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Really scott? Care to explain this? http://www.ssssite.com/bios.asp Did Standard alternative change their name since April?
Scott Pezarras
8:45 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Me
The link you provided doesn't have anything to do with solar arrays, so I am not sure what you would like explained.
BW
8:54 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Oh come on Scott. You said SAM FAIVUS is the president of Standard Alternative. That link I posted says he is not and you are right, he has nothing to do with solar panels. So we have a shell company, supposedly run by Sam Faivus, who has nothing at all to do with solar panels.
OMG what is that smell!
John C
1:08 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
me since when is it a unusual for an individual or a crime to be an officer of more than one corporation or LLC? Are you that unaware of how businesses function?
Stephi Baumgart
10:16 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Want to know what's really in the site? Check out:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0200540
Scott Pezarras
8:56 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Me
Come in and ask these questions of Mr. Faivus and his professionals at a Council meeting. There will be plenty of opportunity as we move forward with the project.
Laura
6:04 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
didn't an elected official take out a business license last March or April for something to do with solar? I remember someone on here putting a link to the site or did that have something to do with a Drum Point Road site?
Scott Pezarras
10:40 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Laura
I don't know about that, but no elected official is involved with this project.
Daniel Nee
12:33 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Laura -- It was Jim Lacey (OC Freeholder and BTMUA Director). The company is called "Environmental Solar Solutions" and has a Barnegat address.
As Mr. Pezarras said, that company has nothing to do with this project.
cando21
7:07 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Don the plume did in fact move and cause the wells to be caped I was one of them bCk then. All of the readings was at town hall durring that time to be looked at by anyone.
And in the townships defense they paid for all the wells to be caped and the meters to be installed and the BTMUA paid for the meters. The wells were mandated by the NJ DEP to be capped, the township could have just told us to do it ourselves at our own cost but because it was their site causing the trouble they decided to pay for everything. Yes we now pay for our outside water but would you really want your children to play on a lawn watered by bad water? Also I remember at that time that if your well was deeper then 100 feet you could have kept your well on but most wells were not. So on this one the township did the right thing by the people.
Scott Pezarras
10:15 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Mark
They are testing the fluid for many compounds, not just PCB's. The environmental engineer is handling this situation with the DEP and EPA. He doesn't see a major problem with this and it has not slowed down the capping process at all.
Mark Story Jenks
1:37 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Scott, thanks for the information.
Hindsight is 20/20, but it's too bad the old dump wasn't capped sooner. It may be a coincidence, but there are no more turtles and hardly any frogs at the Mill Pond in the last 20 years or so.
Scott Pezarras
7:57 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Sean
That is what Dept. and Division Heads are for, if there is a problem that they can't address then they bring it to Administration. If the problem is with the Dept. or Division Head the employee can come to my office and express it, as my door is always open.
BW
8:22 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Scott the problem with that is, the company could walk away at anytime, leaving the people of Brick holding the bag.
The company doing the solar panels, does not exist. It is a shell set up in April of 2011, they do not have billions as DeLuca stated. If they did they would post the bond.
Scott Pezarras
8:34 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Me
If they walk away after the array is built, the Twp gets the revenue from the sale of the SREC's and gets it's energy for free, so I am unclear as to what bag we will be holding. Please clarify.
BW
8:41 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Scott, the bag I am talking about is when they walk away in the middle of the project and we have to hire and pay again to have it finished.
And Sam Faivus is NOT the president of Standard alternative he is vice president of this company http://www.ssssite.com/bios.asp
Scott Pezarras
8:53 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Me
That is why we will have a bond to complete the array, as I posted earlier. Sam IS the President of Standard Alternative, he may be the vp of this company as well.
As I said, the B&F committee will be meeting with this Mr. Faivus and his professionals as the project moves forward to clarify the terms and conditions of the redeveloper's agreement.
John C
1:06 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Since a surety bond is being posted by the contractor or company, an insurance company will be on the hook for the cost to complete the solar array.
Help Police Police Police
3:00 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Me who is this guy? Googled his name
Mr Faivus is a co-founder of the - Strategic Safety Solutions, LLCwww.ssssite.com/bios.aspCached - Similar
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
Sam Faivus. Co-founder & Vice President. Mr. Faivus is a co-founder of the company and has been the Vice President since our inception. Mr. Faivus has been ...
BW
8:59 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Come in and ask? Oh Scott that is rich! I have been to enough meetings and watched the rest to know, If I question Steviepoo I will be be littled, screamed at, and accused of being Joe Lamb!
John C
1:04 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Didn't the town receive 2 or 3 insurance settlements worth several million dollars within the last few years from the former owners of the Landfill? These were lawsuits that were left open for years and settled recently.
Mark Story Jenks
1:47 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
I must have missed that news item. How much and when, John?
John C
2:07 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Oh and I wonder if Mr Lamb has any concerns about the legal fees incurred during the litigation and if they were too high? My bet would be no.
John C
2:08 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Wow it was 2006 didn't realize so much time had passed>>> $3.8 million recovered http://bulletin.gmnews.com/news/2006-05-25/Front_page/037.html
Mark Story Jenks
2:31 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
John C: Thanks for the info. Either I forgot or missed it entirely in 2006.
I was in the hospital that week, surgery for diverticulitis, or diverticulosis.