Township Committee — August 20, 2026
The Committee hired Menlo Engineering Associates, for up to $379,165, to design the reconstruction of about a mile of Orchard Road from Community Drive to Burnt Hill Road, with sidewalks and bicycle lanes. In the legal update the township attorney said the township had not been served with the lawsuit then in the news, and that the reported $300 million figure was a mistake. All votes were 4-0, with Deputy Mayor Taylor Todd absent.
- Infrastructure
- Data centers
- Litigation
Meeting recording
Recording plays on the township archive
This meeting does not play on this page. The township's recording is complete and plays in full — the chapter links below will open it at the right moment.
Worth watching
The township attorney says the township has not been officially served, and that the amount reported in the press is a mistake drawn from two other lawsuits filed in the state.
Same moment on the township archiveResolution #26-8-223 hires Menlo Engineering Associates for up to $379,165 to design Orchard Road from Community Drive to Burnt Hill Road; adopted 4-0.
Same moment on the township archiveThe Committee favours a walkable spot along the Orchard Road sidewalk near the Municipal Center for the Washington-Rochambeau route marker, pending the Landmarks Commission.
Same moment on the township archive
What happened
What happened
Four members were present: Mayor Singh and Committee Members Ahn, Martin and Herring. Deputy Mayor Taylor Todd was absent. The township’s archive has no closed captions for this meeting, so this summary relies on the posted minutes; timestamps come from the archive’s agenda index.
Legal update. At about 37:35 the township attorney reported no legal updates, but addressed public conversation about a lawsuit filed against the township. According to the minutes, the attorney said the township “has not been officially served.” Mayor Singh asked about reports of a $300,000,000 lawsuit. The attorney’s understanding, as the minutes record it, was that “the amount referenced in the paper is a mistake as there are two other lawsuits that have been filed in the State but that is not the amount filed against the Township.” The attorney returned to the point in more detail on September 17, in discussing the data-center complaint, which by then had been filed but not yet served.
Public comment. The only speaker, Rocky Hill Borough Council President Richard Novak, asked the township to reconsider Rocky Hill’s request for a lower speed limit and sidewalk completion on a short stretch of Princeton Avenue. The Administrator is to follow up.
Orchard Road. At about 45:54 the Committee adopted Resolution #26-8-223, 4-0, awarding Menlo Engineering Associates a professional services contract for engineering, surveying and right-of-way services on the Orchard Road Phases 2-4 Reconstruction, Pedestrian Route and Bicycle Lanes Extension Project. The project covers about one mile of Orchard Road between Community Drive and Burnt Hill Road, generally keeping the existing road width and alignment, and adds pedestrian and bicycle facilities, stormwater and drainage repairs, ADA provisions, right-of-way acquisition, utility work and signage. It is to be designed as one continuous corridor, with construction documents split into New Jersey Department of Transportation Municipal Aid phases: Phase 2 (2026 award), and Phases 3 and 4 (anticipated 2027 and 2028). Menlo proposed $403,165; the township excluded construction-phase services ($24,000), so the contract is capped at $379,165 for twelve months. It was awarded as a non-fair-and-open professional services contract.
Other business. The Committee adopted Ordinance #26-1780, accepting a gift of land (Block 6001, Lot 33.03) off proposed Dayflower Drive. Resolution #26-8-224 authorizes Jonathan E. Drill, Esq. to defend the township, its Zoning Officer and the Zoning Board of Adjustment in Fernandes v. Township of Montgomery (Docket No. SOM-L-1104-26). Resolution #26-8-225 appointed Wendy Rubinstein Quiroga, then the township attorney, as Special Projects/Affordable Housing Attorney through December 31, 2026; a new township attorney took office on August 25. Under new business, the Committee favoured placing the township’s “Victory Town” marker along the Orchard Road sidewalk near the Municipal Center, pending the Landmarks Commission’s input.
Why it matters
The Orchard Road contract moves the reconstruction from planning into design. Residents along the corridor should expect survey work and, later, right-of-way discussions, since the resolution includes right-of-way acquisition support.
The legal update was the first time the $300 million figure was addressed from the dais. The township’s position, repeated a month later, is that the figure does not appear in the complaint.
Worth watching
- Legal update (37:35)
- Resolution #26-8-223, the Orchard Road design contract (45:54)
- New and unfinished business (48:31)
Sources
- The township’s archive: August 20, 2026 Township Committee meeting video. The archive has no closed-caption transcript for this meeting; timestamps are approximate.
- Township Committee minutes, August 20, 2026, which reproduce Resolution #26-8-223 in full.
- Township Committee agenda, August 20, 2026
- Township Committee meeting, September 17, 2026, where the attorney returned to the $300 million figure.
Agenda index
Full transcript
The township publishes a transcript of this meeting alongside the video. In a meeting that runs for hours it is the quickest way to find where a subject came up; the chapter links above jump the recording to each agenda item.