What's a billboard worth? For Bridgewater taxpayers, it's $1 million
BRIDGEWATER – The township would receive $1 million to allow an electronic billboard to be built on municipal property visible to traffic on Route 202-206 next to the municipal complex.
The Township Council voted unanimously on Thursday to introduce an ordinance authorizing a lease with 100 Commons L Bridgewater LH, LLC for what the lease calls a "monument display.
The display will be developed by Catalyst Experiential, of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, which has built a clocktower display on southbound Route 202 in Raritan Township just east of Case Boulevard.
Catalyst Experiential has three pending applications for monument displays in Bridgewater – one on the west side of Route 22 a quarter mile east of Route 28 and Garretson Road, another on westbound Route 22 by Adamsville Road and a third, which will have a "water display," on northbound Route 202-206 just north of the Time to Eat Diner.
Township Attorney Christopher Corsini said the township will receive a lump sum of $1 million, then $1,000 a month for 30 years for the lease.
"The parties are anxious to get going on this," Corsini said.
Corsini said the township's lease will not set a precedent for the other projects.
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The ordinance will be up for public hearing and final adoption on March 16.
"I don't want to see Bridgewater become a billboard community," Councilman Filipe Pedroso said, "but it's a phenomenal financial deal for the township."
Pedroso said the display's location next to a busy road is not near houses and "will not affect anyone's quality of life."
As part of the lease, the township will be allowed to post messages on the electronic display as part of its rotation of advertising images. Emergency alerts will also be posted.
Councilman Michael Kirsh said the display could serve as a welcome to Bridgewater sign. He noted that the signs on Interstate 287 and Route 202-206 do not mention Bridgewater, but other places such as Somerville and Morristown.
Kirsh said the billboard could also serve as a way for the township to communicate messages to residents.
Somerset County has an electronic message display at the intersection of East Main Street and Finderne Avenue where Bucky's restaurant used to be. The space for the display was created as part of traffic improvements made during the development of the Bridgewater Promenade and TD Bank Ballpark.
Because it is being built on municipal property, the project only requires a courtesy review from the Planning Board.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bridgewater may allow billboard on township property
