Mayor Billy Portman the Golden Plunger to Mark Woszczak. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
If one were to list the essential functions of local government, safely removing and processing what we flush down the toilet is arguably one, if not the, most important function.
And so, one could argue, it is perhaps the highest honor the Borough of Red Bank can bestow upon a citizen: The Golden Plunger.
It was awarded last week by Mayor Billy Portman and the Borough Council to Mark Woszczak, of Mark Woszczak Mechanical Contractors of Manasquan, for “preventing a potential environmental disaster” by quickly repairing a broken sewer main last month.
A hero and his trophy. Below, the scene of last month’s sewage spill. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
In a proclamation read by Portman, Woszczak was credited with dropping his other jobs, scrambling his crew to Red Bank and remaining on the scene overnight until the sewer main was repaired and a sewage leak into the Navesink River was curtailed.
Portman’s proclamation expresses the town’s “deepest gratitude and admiration for Mark Woszczak, a true hero of our community. His unwavering commitment to the safety, well-being, and prosperity of our town is truly commendable, and we are honored to affectionately recognize him as our very own Dirty Jobs King.”
“This was a big job, in Red Bank as far as an emergency operation,” Borough Manager Jim Gant said after the presentation at Thursday’s meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council. Gant described his confidence in the contractor with a booming voice saying, “When I was three blocks away and I could hear Mark’s voice, I knew we were in really good hands.”
Woszczak began his service to the borough in the early 1980’s, installing, repairing, and replacing vital infrastructure such as hydrants, water mains, water and sewer lines, laterals, and stormwater mains for road improvement programs, according to the proclamation. Since 2003, when the borough began bidding out contracts for all utility road work he has been awarded every contract since.
The July 11 sewage spill was caused when a contractor for the developer chosen by NJ Transit to redevelop the agency’s parking lots and other properties struck a sewage main while doing soil testing.
Gant said Thursday the developer for the NJ Transit property, Denholtz Properties has agreed to cover the cost of repairs.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
