PSE&G: Gazebo, Parking at Pool Need to Go

Mayor Nicole Hagner said PSE&G "is terminating licensing agreements at and the gazebo on Southern Boulevard."

The gazebo, Hagner said, will have to be moved from its current location, since Hagner said the utility company is "not willing" to have a structure in their right-of-way. "We're currently looking for a suitable location in the township," she said.

The termination came two months before PSE&G is expected to begin construction on their in Chatham. The company has already begun construction in some towns.

Construction on the entire project is expected to last two to four years.

Both areas also impact the , since the gazebo area is used as a drop-off zone at and the parking lot at Colony Pool is used as overflow parking at .

Hagner said she is "cautiously optimistic" PSE&G will grant the licensing agreements again, but under new conditions. The township must reapply for the licensing agreement and "establish a new lease and licencing agreement," rather than negotiate from an existing agreement.

Hagner is not sure, however, that the agreement will be in place by the time school starts.

Superintendent Michael LaSusa said he has been in touch with township officials. Hagner said she instructed PSE&G to contact the school district as well. "Once we learn definitively of what the conditions at Colony will be, we will be in a position to solidify our plans for the school year," LaSusa said.

Hagner said PSE&G representatives will be present at the Aug. 9 township committee meeting so residents can ask any questions of how the reliability project will impact Chatham Township.

Committee Member Bailey Brower, Jr. said Hagner played a vital role in getting PSE&G to let the township reapply for the licensing agreements. "We were told there would be no building use or incursion onto any right of way," Brower said. "Nicole met with this guy and ... got to the point where they're going to reconsider."