General Information of Public Works/Engineering Department

The Department of Public Works started 1998 with 63 employees and had 68 employees by the end of the year. We also had, approximately 25 summer temporaries employed to help with lawn work, garden debris pick ups and other department functions. The department also makes use of labor from the Sheriff s Department, known as, "Labor Assistance Program", workfare persons, people working on community service hours, high school seniors doing Senior Service projects in the spring before graduation, Earth Day volunteers, and County "PIC" workers.

Major equipment purchased with 1998 funds include: 2 Pick-up trucks with snow plows, and 1 large salt spreader for our Roll-off Truck. The following major projects were undertaken by outside contractors, consultants, and our own DPW forces:

1. Road Resurfacing of thirty two streets throughout the township.
2. Road Resurfacing of the Southern Section of Windsor Rd. with state aid funds.
3. Safety pruning of street trees in the southeast section of the township.
4. A contract was awarded for architectural services to renovate the old Rodda Building gym, and a construction contract was awarded. The major elements included new lighting, interior painting, new bleachers and renovation of the restrooms.
5. A contract was awarded for 800 lineal feet of curb replacement on various streets.
6. 220 tons of patching material was placed in potholes throughout the township.
7. Approximately 500 Shade Trees were planted in the Spring of 1998.
8. Construction of the 1998 Sidewalk Replacement Program was completed in the North East section of the Township. Residents whose sidewalk was improved will receive their assessment bill in the first half of 1999.
9. The Hawthorne Park Tennis Courts were completed during the Summer of 1998.
10. Major renovations to the Fire Headquarters air conditioning system was accomplished.
11. Completed the sewer reconstruction and the resurfacing of the westerly end of Robinson St. with 1997 Community Development funds.
12. Initiated the design for the 1998 Community Development funded project for the reconstruction of Fairview Ave.
13. The exterior improvements and re-roofing of the Fire Headquarters Building was completed.
14. The asphalt and curbs from the abandoned east end of Genesee Ave. in Argonne Park was removed with a curb and sidewalk installed at the opening.
15. A contract was awarded to close the heating fuel oil underground storage tanks at the library and the fire headquarters building. Work to be completed early 1999.
16. Consulting services were procured for the renovation of the tennis courts at Argonne Park and a construction contract was awarded. Prior to winter the courts had been rebuilt except for the final color coating which will be completed in the Spring of 1999.

The Garage workforce performed preventive maintenance and repairs on 38 Police vehicles, 19 vehicles, and 7 pieces of auxiliary equipment for the Fire Department, and 61 Public Works vehicles. In addition, they maintained 94 pieces of auxiliary equipment, 3 standby generators, 1 recreation department van, and 1 van for disabled senior citizens.

Department forces continue park maintenance, dead tree removals, garden debris pickup, leaf pickup, recycling pickup, pothole patching, public buildings maintenance, and the myriad of other tasks required to keep the physical features of the Community looking healthy and prosper.

The Department of Public Works always thanks the public for the help in reporting potholes and dead trees.

The following are totals of recycled materials for 1998:

General Information of Public Works/Engineering Department

Throughout the year, the Department of Public Works provides services for all residents. It is a program especially designed to maintain the condition of municipal facilities and to retain the community's cleanliness, safety and good appearance. The DPW's municipal services are in the following five areas:

The Street and Sanitation Division: maintains (including snow plowing and snow removal) 124 miles of improved roads and about 2 miles of unimproved roads. It cleans and sweeps improved roads and is responsible for the collection of leaves, garden debris and recyclables from the curbside of residents and trash from public buildings. It is responsible for installation of traffic signs (street names, Stop and No Parking signs, etc.). The Division is also responsible for road markings, including crosswalks and parking stalls.

The Sewer Division: handles the routine maintenance and repair of nearly 170 miles of sanitary and storm sewers and more than 5,700 manholes, catch basins, culverts, and head walls. To report a sewer backup, call the DPW (837-4842) weekdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 PM or call police headquarters (837-2600) at other times including holidays and weekends.

The Garage Division: is in charge of preventive maintenance and repair of municipally-owned vehicles and other mechanical equipment used by the DPW, police, fire and recreation departments.

The Park and Tree Division: maintains the upkeep of 23 parks totaling 225 acres, as well as nearly 200 Township-owned lots, one in-ground swimming pool and two above-ground swimming pools. It is responsible for the planning, removal and care of more than 20,000 trees along public streets, as well as trees, shrubs and flowers in municipal parks and on public grounds.

In order to protect our abundant natural resource of trees, which are such an asset to the Township, a new ordinance has been adopted, more clearly defining the permits that may be issued and responsibilities of the Township officials with regard to shade tree removal, trimming and care. If you contemplate any tree work or removal on a Township owned tree in front of your house, please consult the new ordinance for the procedures that must be followed.

The Maintenance Division: is responsible for maintaining public facilities. These include the lighting in all municipal parking lots and all athletic fields (basketball, tennis and baseball); all bus stop shelters; the fire alarm systems in all municipal buildings; the water lines at the municipal greenhouse and ballfields, as well as all water fountains in parks; all fire extinguishers; the fencing for Little League diamonds; playground games; parking lot meters; all park benches; the heating, air-conditioning and plumbing systems, and meters in all municipal buildings. The division is also responsible for shoveling snow from the walks of all public buildings; setting up the bandshell for the Recreation Department sponsored summer concert series and setting up the Council Chambers for Council meetings, various boards and Municipal Court sessions. The division installs and removes holiday decorations and lights in the business districts for the Chamber of Commerce, picks up surplus goods for distribution to the needy by the Health Department and operates a daily mail shuttle among the municipal buildings.

Street Sweeping: In the business district, streets are swept daily. Street sweeping is a once-a week schedule in the residential district, interrupted only by the mammoth task of leaf collection (roughly from October 1 through mid-December). During the leaf pickup period residential streets are swept on a schedule that is dictated by the accumulation of leaves. The effectiveness of the street sweeping program depends solely upon the cooperation of the residents; the sweeping machines cannot get to curbside if cars are parked in the street on sweeping day. To do your part, make certain your cars are off the street on street sweeping day, which is determined by where you live as noted in the following schedule:

Monday: South of Route 4 and west of the railroad, south of Cedar Lane and west of Queen Anne Road.
Tuesday: East of Queen Anne Road and south of Cedar Lane.
Wednesday: East of the railroad, north of Cedar Lane to Genesse Avenue/Bogert Street/West Englewood Avenue.
Thursday: North of Genesse Avenue/Bogert Street/West Englewood Avenue to the Bergenfield line, and east of Sussex Road to the Englewood line.
Friday: North of Route 4 and west of the railroad, south of West Englewood Avenue and west of Sussex Road to the Bergenfield and New Milford boundaries and to the Hackensack River.
NOTE: If you live on the street which is a boundary line between districts, imagine that the line is down the center of the street to determine the district you live in.

Recycling: In 1987, the State of New Jersey made recycling mandatory in every municipality of the State. We are currently striving to recycle 60% of our waste. To comply with this requirement, Teaneck has undertaken an ambitious recycling program. During the month of December the Township prepares a calendar of when pickups are made of material that can be recycled and mails it to the residents. It includes the rules and regulations for the various types of recyclables, plus any changes that have occurred since the last calendar was published. When you receive your calendar, place it on your refrigerator or whatever serves as a bulletin board to remind you when pickups are made. If you need a copy of the calendar, it is available at the Municipal Building. There is a recycling depot at the DPW yard on River Road. It is open Thursday through Monday from 7:00 am to 2:45 pm (closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and holidays). See your recycling calendar for exact date. Residents are encouraged to bring recycling material to the depot including:

1. Newspaper
2. Mixed paper
3. Cardboard
4. Commingled recycling
5. Auto and household batteries
6. Garden debris

There are also depositories for used clothing set by various groups.

Garden Debris consists of vegetative waste, grass clippings, leaves, branches, plant material, etc. Garden debris is collected curbside weekly, between the months of April and October. During the other months of the year, there is limited pick up. All of the scheduled days are listed in the recycling calendar or you can call the recycling hotline (837-4841) for information regarding pick up. All items must be at the curb no later than 7 AM on the day of collection, and no earlier than 6 PM of the preceding evening. Grass, leaves, small plant material must be in either non-disposable containers which will be emptied and left at the curb, or biodegradable paper bags, (NO PLASTIC BAGS, PLEASE), since the company who recycles the material will not accept it in plastic bags, each container weighing no more than 50 pounds each. Branches and shrubs must be cut into lengths not greater than 4 feet, and tied into bundles weighing less than 50 pounds each. You must have your landscaper and/or lawn service comply with these requirements. Material not properly contained or mixed with garbage or recycling materials will not be picked up. Garden debris can also be brought to the Depot and need not be containerized or tied, but must not be left in plastic bags at the Depot, See the depot workers for instruction on which container the recyclable material must be disposed in.

Leaves, which are treated as garden debris during most of the year, become a real problem during October through December. There are more than 100,000 trees on public and private property within the Township's borders. Leaf removal in the autumn is a monumental project that strains the resources of the DPW. During the period of leaf drop from about October 1 to mid-December (see your recycling calendar), residents are permitted to rake leaves, loose grass, and small plants into the roadway at curbside.

The DPW collects leaves daily during this period, but the volume is so great and the weather so unpredictable, that the leaf pickup can not be scheduled. Please be patient if we do not get to your street as quickly as you would like. Be careful to only place leaves, grass cuttings, and small plant material in the leaf piles in the street. Do not place logs, branches, stones, or large plant material in the street during the leaf collection period, as they are not suitable for composting and could damage the street cleaning equipment.

CAUTIONARY ADVICE: Children love to play in leaf piles, and wet leaves may cause a car to skid. Cars with catalytic converters should not be parked over the piles under any circumstances. After the ignition is shut off, the converter is still hot enough to ignite leaves or grass. Even older model cars without converters have caught fire when parked over leaves.

Snow Plowing: Fortunately, we have not experienced any major snowfall accumulation within the past few winters. However, even a light snow storm or freezing rain requires putting men and equipment on our roads for the spreading of salt to keep the roads safe and passable for our residents.

The Township Council has passed a new law which makes it illegal to park on any street when the street is snow covered. Some parts of 18 streets are exempt from this law because there is not enough off-street parking at some multi-family dwellings, and elsewhere. These areas are clearly marked with signs, so confusion does not occur as to which streets can be used for parking during snow emergencies. This means that whenever enough snow has fallen to require plowing of the public streets in Teaneck, parking is not permitted on any public streets except in the 18 posted areas. This parking prohibition remains in effect until the snow has stopped and the streets have been plowed enough that parking on them will not block either the normal flow of traffic or snow removal work. The term "snow" includes snow, sleet, hail and/or ice.

When a snow emergency is in effect, you must move your vehicles off of all Township streets unless they are in one of the posted areas. If you can not move your vehicle or comply with the law, call the Police Department at 837-2600 to tell them about your problem,

For additional off street parking, residents are encouraged to use any of the municipal parking lots. Beginning (6) hours before the snow fall is predicted to start, and until (24) hours after the snow fall has stopped, all hourly limits and meter fees in township lots are waived. The locations of the Municipal parking lots are as follows:

1. East side of Teaneck Road off Beveridge Street
2. West side of Teaneck Road at Orchard Street
3. West side of Teaneck Road between Church and Bogert Streets
4. North side of State Street opposite Lozier Place
5. North side of State Street west of Terrace Circle
6. Behind stores on west side of Queen Anne Road north of West Englewood Ave.
7. West of Queen Anne Road north of Court Street
8. North end of Votee Park, south of Court Street
9. North of Cedar Lane at Garrison Ave. and Beverly Road
10. South of Cedar Lane between American Legion Drive and Chestnut Street
11. Northwest corner of Cedar Lane and Elm Ave
12. Southeast corner of Beverly Road and River Road
13. South side of Beverly Road opposite Williams Ave
14. East side of River Road in Phelps Park
15. Southeast corner of DeGraw Ave. and Queen Anne Road
16. Municipal Building at the northwest corner of Cedar Lane and Teaneck Road
17. South end of Votee Park at Colonial Court
18. East side of Glenwood Ave. south of Lindbergh Blvd.
19. Municipal Compost Site: Foot of Lindbergh Boulevard east of Glenwood Ave.

During the winter months, snow and ice must be removed from public sidewalks after the cessation of a storm. Commercial property owners or tenants have 12 hours; residential owners have 24 hours. Also, people who own corner properties (and at mid-block crosswalks) must shovel a pathway from their shoveled sidewalk to the plowed portion of the street so that pedestrians, especially school children, can cross safely.

Household Refuse: The Township does not collect household refuse. It has no control over private, independent contractors who make the pickups along routes within the Township. Although the rates the collectors can charge were deregulated by the Department of Environmental Protection and Energy (DEPE), residents with service complaints can call Solid Waste Regulation at (609)984-2080.

Composting/Firewood: The DPW stores wood chips at the Greenhouse located at the foot of Lindbergh Boulevard, east of Glenwood Ave. Firewood is stored at the recycling depot in the DPW yard on the west side of River Road, just north of West Englewood Ave. Whenever available, firewood and wood chips are free for the taking. In all cases, the rule is first come, first served.

Litter: The problem of litter is probably as old as civilization. Society rejects litter for a number of reasons. It is unsanitary - litter frequently contains decaying food. It is unsafe - litter can be an obstacle to pedestrians (ex: a banana peel) or vehicles (a broken beer bottle in the roadway). It reduces the value of your property; a littered community is unappealing to prospective buyers or lessors of property.

It is against the law to deposit household or commercial refuse in the DPW's litter containers on the street and in the parks.

• It is illegal to drop or throw any type of refuse from a vehicle.
• If you walk your dog on a public street, you are required to have on your person "a proper scoop or container or similar efficient sanitary means to immediately remove feces deposited by the dog".
• It is against the law to dump refuse of any type on any public property including parks, parking lots and vacant municipally owned land.

If you violate any of these litter control ordinances, you run the risk of receiving a summons. If convicted, you may be fined up to $500, jailed for up to 90 days or both. So, don't foul Teaneck; dunk your junk.

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