Councilman Vinci at the Trough

The following is an excerpt from the Independent on January 31st, 2007.

In addition to the new left turn lane from Gerard Avenue onto Lower Main Street, a new traffic light was installed, Gerard Avenue was widened and the curb and sidewalks in the area were restored. Also, a new access driveway to a building owned by the Garden State Parkway was completed on the north side of the intersection. This new driveway will replace the old one on Washington Avenue, which is scheduled to be vacated, according to the county.

The project cost $406,429 and was jointly funded by the Garden State Parkway, the county and Aberdeen. The work was performed by Green Construction Inc., South River.

Umm . . . Not quite.

First, let’s review the actual costs of developing the intersection and installing a new access road for the few highway workers who regularly use the GSP facility.

The reported $406,429 only refers to the first estimate for construction, not the actual construction costs (which had already been revised upward the prior year). Nor does that number include the engineering plans or purchasing and demolishing a house to make way for the access road.

These are the actual project expenditures –
Construction - $527,491.84
Engineer - $99,500
House Purchase - $210,000
Demolition - $22,450.01
Total - $859,441.85

Contrary to the article, all costs were assumed by Monmouth County and New Jersey State except for the one not listed; that demolished house no longer pays property taxes.

County officials tell me the intersection would likely have cost $350,000 - $400,000 if not for the access road that was built solely to divert the highway workers from Washington Ave. As can be seen from this aerial view, the state and county spent around $450,000 to spare five homes from the occasional highway vehicle.

Next year, the county is slated to expand the Lloyd Road – Rt. 34 intersection at a cost of $2.5 million. The ShopRite and Stop & Shop plazas will be charged a special assessment tax of half a million dollars because of the benefit they’ll receive from the expanded intersection.

How much did the residents of Washington Ave. contribute to the construction of the access road? Zero.

Why would the state and county spend $450,000 to spare a few homes some minor traffic? Because the Honorable Councilman Vincent Vinci resides on Washington Avenue. Yup, the same Councilman Vinci who received free land from the county and the township. The same Councilman Vinci who was paid “consulting fees” to participate in his own re-election campaign. This same Councilman Vinci petitioned the county to spend $450,000 to divert a few vehicles from his quiet street. He even got two "Do Not Block Intersection" signs, a novelty in Aberdeen, installed at the entrance to Washington Ave. If only he showed the same concern for his constituents.

I realize I’ve been picking on our dear Councilman Vinci quite a bit so I’ll make him this offer – if Councilman Vinci agrees, for the rest of the year, to refrain from parking in the handicapped spot when traveling alone to Town Hall, I’ll refrain, for the rest of the year, from targeting him in any of my articles. Do we have a deal? >>> Read more!