Rec Center Contract Voted Through on 2nd Try

A contract amendment that was voted down two weeks ago by the Borough Council for additional work by T&M Associates on the Madison Recreation Center property was approved unanimously on Monday night.

The resolution was part of the consent agenda, which was voted through 6-0 by council.

Councilman Robert Conley, one of the three members who voted against the amended contract at the previous meeting said he was the one who wrote the agenda recommendation to have the resolution reappear on Monday.

"It was in an effort to move forward," Conley said. "We knew exactly what we were voting for tonight."

Conley was joined by Councilwoman Astri Baillie and Councilman Sam Cerciello as those who voted no two weeks ago. Baillie joined Conley in concern that they didn't have a comfort level with what was in the resolution after their executive session at that meeting. Cerciello didn't say why he voted no, however, he had made comments in previous meetings about not knowing enough about T&M.

Councilman Don Links and Council President Jeannie Tsukamoto voted yes two weeks ago, while Councilman Dr. Vincent Esposito was excused due to vacation.

The amended contract went through without any contention on Monday. Several members of the public did comment on the project and contract, with a large portion of the crowd standing in support of the project at one point.

That was when Madison Recreation Advisory Committee Chairman Marty Horn asked the group to stand to show council how many members of the community were there to support moving forward on the MRC.

Horn said he understood there were contractual differences at the last meeting that he hoped had been resolved.

"When we see negative votes, it causes a concern, and that's why we are here," Horn said. "If we can work out negative concerns before the meeting, that would help."

Horn and other members of the community such as Dave Carver, who works with Madison Softball League and is its former president, urged council to move swiftly with the projects so the turf fields in Phase 1 could be in place by fall of 2011. Carver said he's seen that if Madison works together from the top down, it can accomplish anything.

Monday's approved contract amendment was for the identical $29,106.32 called for in the July 26 resolution. The services called for by the contract are for review and design work for a revised turn-around and parking area with final developer reciprocal easement, fencing, and cost estimating on an expedited bases.