On Thursday, some Verona residents began receiving a postcard urging them to sign up to have their water meter replaced. The first thing you need to know: this is legit. The second thing: eventually, you will have no choice.
The Township of Verona is rolling out a program to test, replace, and upgrade water meters for all Verona residents. As meters age, they can run more slowly, which means that water bills may not reflect actual usage. But the new meters are also “smarter”: They are equipped with radio-frequency transmitters, so township meter readers won’t have to get inside or even particularly close to your home to record your water usage. More meters can be read with fewer hours of labor, which is important since Verona has been dialing back employment in several departments.
According to town officials the first streets to be included in the work are all on the Forest corner of town: Balston Drive, Beechwood Road, Chestnut Road, Fairway Avenue, Fells Road, Fellswood Drive, Forest Avenue, Gerdes Avenue, Halstead Street, Harrison Street, Hillside Avenue, Howard Street, Howell Drive, Lakeside Avenue, East and West Lincoln Streets, Maple Terrace, Marion Road, Meadow Lane, Montrose Avenue, Morningside Road, Oakridge Road, Parsons Court, Pease Avenue, Peters Lane, South Prospect Street, Stocker Road, Upland Way, Whitney Terrace, and Windemere Road. The township has contracted to replace 1,000 meters per year.
So, if you live on one of these streets, do you have to get your water meter replaced? In a word, Yes. “[Residents] will be getting multiple notices,” says Town Manager Matt Cavallo, “and if they don’t respond after multiple notices, visits and certified mailings, we will have not choice but to turn off their water until the meter is changed.”
