At Tuesday night's meeting, the West Orange Township Council discussed and approved the awarding of a landscaping contract to D’Onofrio & Sons for $135,000 by a 4-1 vote.

Councilman Joe Krakoviak said the contract, which would cover maintenance on various township-owned areas including turf maintenance, litter and debris collections, fall and spring leaf collections and disposals, grass cutting and weed control, would better serve residents and be cheaper if the township split it up among several different contractors.

Board president Victor Cirilo disagreed saying managing several different contractors would end up costing the township because of the resources needed to manage several companies.

Township Chief Financial Officer John Gross agreed with Cirilo explaining there are many processes involved in the contract that all require timing. He added each company would have to work on a different day because of the way the township Parks and Recreation Department schedule their workloads.

Gross indicated the services are time sensitive, and said, “You can’t have a company coming to cut the grass when another is coming to spray.”

In other news:

• Council to Impose Prism Deadline, Discuss Lack of Progress
• Pool Fees to Stay the Same
• The council approved $44,285 to purchase new clothing for 14 new firefighters under state contract.