PSE&G considered renting Lion Gate property, but have now changed plans

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Lion Gate tract was recently considered by PSE&G as an area to store vehicles and equipment while while work on gas mains in the area was under way, but the company has decided to look elsewhere for a site.

According to company spokeswoman Karen Johnson, PSE&G was considering the tract as a laydown area for a gas pipe replacement project.
“The team decided not to pursue the property because it was available for only a short time,” she said in a Dec. 6 email to The Independent Press.

“The property was then also considered by our electric teams which are upgrading poles and overhead wires with stronger, more durable equipment in several nearby towns. They determined that it would have been logistically difficult to safely move utility poles in and out of the property, so we didn’t pursue the property for that project either.”

She said the tract would have been needed for at least a year.
“We decided not to pursue the property, so we didn’t begin any negotiations for a lease,” Johnson said. “We are looking at potential sites in different towns but haven’t made any decisions.”

In a Dec. 12 email to The Independent Press, Township Administrator Matthew Watkins said that only a temporary use the property had been discussed and that was not in any detail or with any agreement.