Lopatcong started the process to borrow $850,000, but council says it won't continue if Phillipsburg doesn't contribute.
Lopatcong Township leaders crunched numbers on a school project Thursday night, but the only way it will be finished on time, they say, is with some financial help from Phillipsburg.
An $850,000 bond measure discussed at length by the township council will finance road improvements for the new Phillipsburg High School, which is expected to open in the fall.
The clock is ticking to get the intersection at Belvidere Road and Roseberry Street ready for the first day of school. By taking the first step toward borrowing the money, Lopatcong has put the onus on Phillipsburg to come through with promised funds, township officials said.
Under an agreement reached last year between Lopatcong, Phillipsburg and the school district, each entity assumes a share of the costs for improvements. Because the school is physically in Lopatcong, the township has lead on the road project.
The agreement holds Lopatcong and Phillipsburg to each put in $100,000, the school district to contribute $150,000 and each entity assumes an equal share of the balance, less a $300,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The school has already contributed, township officials said.
The township council took the first step toward borrowing the $850,000 -- an amount that can be reduced as needed, officials said -- over the early objections of Mayor Tom McKay, who said he wants to see the money from Phillipsburg first.
"To go into large debt over this thing I think is foolish," the mayor said, though he ultimately went along with the unanimous introduction of the bond ordinance. At a previous meeting, he said he would not support the bond without "further investigation" into its need.
Decision made to leave 'The Pit'
The bond must go through a second reading and public discussion, and a 20-day waiting period following a vote before any money is actually borrowed. Council members said that by starting the process, they put pressure on Phillipsburg to come through with the funds.
"I don't want Lopatcong to be the one to hold up this project," Council President Joseph Pryor said, noting that the township can hold off on any borrowing until Phillipsburg's funding is in place. "I want to put it back in Phillipsurg's court."
"What they do determines what we do next," Councilman Lou Belcaro agreed.
Phillipsburg Mayor Stephen "Rogie" Ellis and school district Superintendent George Chando did not return calls for comment ahead of Lopatcong's meeting.
Municipal engineer Paul Sterbenz, who has been involved with planning the road improvements over the last year, told the Lopatcong council that the hope is for work to begin April 1 and conclude by mid-August. Delaying the bond ordinance even two weeks to the next meeting could have serious implications, he said.
"Every day really counts at this point," he said.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.