Council acts to repair collapsed sewer line

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - A sewer line collapse in Kendall Park on Friday inconvenienced residents in the area and disrupted services.

In response, the Township Council passed a resolution Tuesday allocating $100,000 to make emergency repairs on the line as soon as possible.

According to Township Manager Matthew Watkins, the line was in a field located near the Princeton Manor neighborhood and its collapse was attributed mostly to age. The line, described as a couple of hundred feet long, collapsed, leading to a flood of phone calls to the township asking what was going on. Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz asked that in the future, residents call the police non-emergency number at (732) 329-4646 in events such as this, because they will be able to supply the relevant information.

The companies doing the short-notice work are Ace Manzo Inc., Brent Materials Co. and Alaimo Associates. The Ace Manzo company's last job in the township was the construction of a water well. While work is being done to repair the line, pumping equipment will be used to bypass the broken route. Mayor Frank Gambatese said that time was of the essence for work such as this.

"When the sewer line collapses, this is something we can't wait around for. It's for the residents' benefits that we need to work on that line, and we know that's an inconvenience, but we need to understand that the men who are out there working all night long are working so they can finish that job quickly for the residents' benefit," said Gambatese.

- Chris Gaetano