A revaluation study will be conducted after the Eatontown Borough Council examined the Netta Architects‘ four preliminary plans for the municipal building.
“This building has been under investigation [and] under scrutiny for at least 15 years. We have been through numerous processes. I have been up here for 10. … We have been fighting back and forth. I said it on Jan. 1, it’s been past time for our employees to not have to be working in the conditions they’re working in,” Mayor Dennis Connelly said.
Netta Architects Vice President Larry Uher gave the council and Connelly four proposed renovation plans for the municipal building on Jan. 24.
The council decide to table moving forward on the proposed options and instead agreed to allow the firm to do an evaluation study on the municipal building.
“Netta Architects submitted a new, more limited proposal that the council will be considering after they declined the version discussed [on Jan. 24]. If the council wishes to authorize a new study by the architect, we will need to allocate funds. As of our last discussion the council will likely remove municipal renovations from the bond ordinance,” Borough Administrator George Jackson said.
After the council met with the firm’s Principal Nicholas Netta one month ago, Uher said the firm came up with four different options for the municipal building that include renovating the building; potentially adding a third floor to the building, constructing a new building in the municipal parking lot behind borough hall and adding a second floor to the borough library.
According Jackson, there was one quote of $42,500 for all four proposed plans together.
Uher said that each proposed option has its own pros and cons. For example, if the council ultimately decides to add a third floor to the building, it would have to consider additional costs to vacate and move back into the building.
“As things look like it’s going fast, we started out just switching architects and going to look at new plans for this building, to looking at four different directions or five directions, which I find it’s going to make it almost impossible to decide which way to go,” Connelly said.
Due to the borough also seeking to purchase and install new emergency radios for various borough departments, Connelly said, “We don’t just put radios in the building and find out that we are going to be moving to the parking lot. … I really believe that this council and this committee needs to be focused on one thing. To sit here and pay over $40,000 more to start over just seems ridiculous.”
On Dec. 6, 2017, the council adopted a bond ordinance to pay for various capital improvements and equipment.
The total estimated cost for the various capital improvements and equipment is $8,165,000 and the borough must make a 5 percent down payment which is $7,714,643, according to Jackson.
For the municipal building improvements, approximately $800,000 to $1 million of the building costs are to overhaul the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Other improvements include the reconfiguration of the municipal courtroom since the borough is using Tinton Falls’ municipal court, expand office spaces, and install security features, according to Jackson.
Council President Patricia May said that no matter what the council decides on, the borough has to update the HVAC system to make the municipal building more secure.
Since many improvements are needed at the building, Connelly said the council should allow the firm to conduct a revaluation study on the municipal building to study and analyzes the building’s needs, as well as, determine the best renovation option for the building.
“I think what [Connelly] is saying is that regardless of what you do this architect can’t make a recommendation until he understands what you have [and] what you need,” Councilman Anthony Talerico Jr. said. “So, if we have to cut him two checks, one to study it and one to figure out the different options, it would be cheaper than to cut him a big check and to find out that no one is going to pay for what it’s costing to do this. … The cheaper route is to pay the architects to study what we have. It’s the basic way to begin. We are beginning all over again.”
By the end of its workshop discussion, the council came up with its decision to table moving forward and to allow the firm to do an evaluation.
For more information visit www.eatontownnj.com/council-meeting-audio/.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
