Middletown Township is exploring the option of bringing some concrete work in-house for future curb ramp projects in an effort to reduce costs.
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The move comes after the Board of Supervisors awarded a $158,373.75 contract to NJS Concrete, of Lower Southampton Township, for the township’s 2025 ADA curb ramp program earlier this month. The project will install 22 ramps across nine intersections in the Juniper Hill neighborhood.
Supervisor Dana Kane described the cost per a ramp as “extremely high.”
“We are actively doing that,” Township Manager Eden Ratliff said when asked about alternatives to reduce costs. “We’re doing a business proposal in house to determine what it would cost our team to be able to build a concrete team and to do that ramp in house and to determine how many concrete work we would need to do per year to kind of see a return on that.”
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The in-house concrete work proposal comes as the township works to control costs heading into budget season.
The proposal will be explored and presented during the township’s budget workshops, which are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13, and Monday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Center at 3 Municipal Way
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The possibility of the township undertaking the work drew a warning from Christopher Nowkowski, a resident who previously worked in construction inspection for the state.
“I would be very leery about the township undertaking ADA curb ramp concrete work,” Nowkowski said. “It’s extremely technical and specialized and there’s a lot of numbers and benchmarks that need to be hit and if they’re missed by 1/10 of 1 percent, the thing is not ADA compliant and it can be subject to a lawsuit or remove and replace.”
Nowkowski noted at the September supervisors meeting that even professional contractors sometimes struggle with the precision required.
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In his comments to officials, Nowkowski described the work as “a recipe for disaster” for crews that do not perform ADA work regularly.
Township Engineer Issac Kessler said he knew the technical challenges but added the township already follows strict rules to ensure compliance.
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The township’s current 2025 curb ramp project is fully funded through a $160,400 Community Development Block Grant.
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