Legislation signed makes Rahway River flood mitigation a priority

(Continued from Page 1) the Orange Reservoir in the South Mountain Reservation would begin to release flow downstream with the expectation that the flow would be out of the Rahway River system when the peak of the storm comes. This would lower the river elevation downstream and permit Cranford in particular to deepen the riverbed and at points widen the river providing significant increase in river capacity, ultimately keeping more of the river in its banks.

“All eight communities involved in the Mayors Council Rahway River Watershed Flood Control effort along the river supported what was known as Alternative 4A,” Aschenbach said. “A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommendation was about to be made to the U.S. Congress in 2019 to fund construction, only to have that plan sent back for review because the U.S. chief engineer was concerned about using weather forecasts to release storm water from the Orange Reservoir prior to peak storm conditions. The rejection was made without a local study but was based on a conservative national perspective about using forecasts. Subsequent to the rejection, several U.S. Army Corps plans in other parts of the United States have been approved using storm forecasts. Other federal water control agencies and reservoir operators also use forecasting.

“With the U.S. Army Corps rejection, they insisted that any flood storage absent the use of forecasts would have to include either lowering the Orange reservoir by dredging or heightening the dam,” he continued. “The Mayors Council Rahway River Watershed Flood Control still supports the Alternative 4A plan, which is now called the Orange Bypass. The Orange Bypass plan is being reviewed as a possible state and local project. The other alternatives, such as reservoir dredging and channelization, have not yet been fully evaluated and are expected to be evaluated next.

Front & Center for Performing Arts staged “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” on Friday, Jan. 13, and Saturday, Jan. 14, at Saint Elizabeth University’s Dolan Performance Hall, 2 Convent Road in Morristown.

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang sang and danced their way into everyone’s hearts in this musical production. The show featured a cast of talented young performers from local New Jersey towns.

The show, directed by Julie CelesteLira, with Wayne Hu and Jeff Ostermueller as musical advisers, featured the following Union County residents: Berkeley Heights’ Nala van den Berg; Cranford’s Lila Kramer; Garwood’s Caris Thomas-Gale; Springfield’s Lilliana Delapa, Ilana Fishman, Sylvie Fishman, Avery Gold, Olivia Keppler, Clover Kern, Camila Mahnken, Josefina Martinez, Thomas Palermo, Viviana Rinaldi, Grace Rivera, Jazmyn Rodriguez, Maya Rubin, Arjun Shah, Priya Shah, Travis Steirman, Willow Tarsi, Aria Vizcaya and Addison Westbay; Summit’s Quinn Kubeck and Riley Huckabee; and Union’s Analia Burgos.

“Charles M. Schulz once said, ‘All children are peanuts. They’re delightful, funny, irresistible and wonderfully unpredictable.’ He was absolutely right. I am so excited for the audience both new to Charlie Brown and his friends, and those who have loved him for years, to jump into this nostalgic comic strip with the Front & Center Peanuts gang,” said Celeste-Lira, Front & Center’s creative director.

Celebrating its 21st year, Front & Center offers individuals of all ages and skill levels the opportunity to grow and develop artistically and personally in a nurturing environment. Front & Center is located in Springfield; for more information, visit front-n-center.com.

NJ Transit board approves critical maintenance of dual-powered locomotives

On Dec. 14, NJ Transit’s board of directors approved a contract to perform key state-of-good-repair maintenance on the engines of the ALP-45 locomotive fleet. The engine overhauls will allow the locomotives to maintain their current Environmental Protection Agency Tier III emissions standards and continue the environmental benefits they provide compared to the older locomotives they replaced.

“Keeping our trains in a state of good repair is critically important to realizing the environmental benefits these locomotives offer,” New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit board Chairperson Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “Performing this maintenance keeps these engines operating cleanly while minimizing the impact on our environment.”

“Aligned with NJ Transit’s commitment to sustainability, the locomotive engine overhaul approved by our board today will maintain compliance with EPA regulations for Tier III emissions, which has resulted in a significant reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions,” NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett said. “The overhaul will have the added benefit of improving overall rail service reliability for our customers.”

The ALP-45 fleet consists of 35 locomotives, which began entering service in 2012 and can operate under electric or diesel power. This flexibility makes them critical assets to the system. Each locomo- tive contains two Caterpillar 3512 HD high-speed diesel engines, which, to remain compliant with EPA regulations, must have all emission-related maintenance per the original equipment manufacturer’s maintenance instructions.

The board of directors has authorized NJ Transit to enter into a contract with Foley-Caterpillar, of Piscataway, to overhaul the 70 engines — two per locomotive — at a cost not to exceed $34,854,248.48, plus a 5 percent contingency.

The engine overhaul is required at approximately 18,000 hours of operation and includes: engine inspection and replacement of parts, such as turbochargers, cylinder heads, fuel injectors and pistons; replacement of diesel oxidation catalyst; replacement of engine mounts; replacement of generator coupling element; and overhaul of generator.

To further support NJ Transit’s goal of a reduced carbon footprint, 25 new Tier IV–compliant dual-powered locomotives continue to arrive and are being put into service from purchases in December 2017 and July 2020, adding 17 and eight locomotives to the fleet, respectively. Currently 13 of the 25 locomotives have been put into service, and the 14th is being commissioned. There is an estimated emissions reduction of approximately 93 percent particulate matter and 85 percent nitric oxide annually when compared to the oldest of the diesel locomotives, which will be retired.