Consultant is hired to evaluate bids on planned wind turbine; On the bay in Union Beach

UNION BEACH - The Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority has hired an engineering management firm to oversee the bidding process in the construction of its proposed 360-foot energy producing wind turbine, officials said.

Authority Executive Director Robert C. Fischer said the Warren-based engineering firm Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor has been hired to serve as a construction management adviser for the project.

BRSA's contract with PS&S is effective with construction bids now being made on the project. The amount of the contract was not immediately available.

"They'll assist us in evaluating the bids that are received," Fischer said.

PS&S also will be responsible for reviewing all project shop drawings that the building contractor submits.

"We will have a resident engineer on-site during times of construction," Fischer said. "They'll be overseeing the construction itself to make sure that it is completed according to the design."

Union Beach officials have opposed the turbine project, sending a formal objection in writing to the state Department of Environmental Protection in September.

The Borough Council will hold a special council meeting on Thursday at Union Beach Memorial School at 7:30 p.m. for residents to discuss the project.

"We really want to know what people think about it," said Union Beach Mayor Paul J. Smith, Jr. "If they support it, then we'll support it. We want what the people want."

However, ultimate decision-making power over the BRSA turbine rests on the DEP's shoulders, which has already given the project preliminary approval.

The wind turbine would be built at the west end of the 1.2-square-mile borough and could generate enough energy to provide power to about 400 households in a year.

BRSA officials argue that the project would reduce its electricity costs, and, over time, actually save Union Beach residents money by reducing their sewer rates.

The turbine will be perched on a pedestal constructed on a concrete pad over 24 pilings adjacent to Raritan Bay, and would include three 118-foot blades attached to a 260-foot tower for a total height of approximately 380 feet.

The project price tag is estimated at around $7.7 million, about half of which would be paid for through a $3.8 million grant from the federal American Recovery and Reinsvestment Act, Fischer said.

A few more DEP administrative steps remain to be completed before the authority can start pouring concrete.

The DEP first must formally adopt a set of guidelines and regulations, proposed in September, for wind turbines, DEP spokeswoman Karen Hershey said.

The authority will hold its second and last open house informational meeting about its turbine project for Monmouth County residents on Saturday at Union Beach headquarters at 100 Oak St. starting at 9 a.m., Fischer said.