Two Highlands Officials Fall Through Floor Of Old Borough Hall

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By Joseph Sapia
HIGHLANDS – Two borough officials are recovering from injuries suffered when they fell through the attic floor of the former Municipal Building. The building had been closed because of flood damage from 2012’s Super Storm Sandy.
Borough Clerk Carolyn Cummins and Deputy Clerk Deborah Dailey were in the attic, retrieving documents, about 10:20 a.m. Tuesday, June 21, when a portion of the floor collapsed, said Borough Administrator Brian Geoghegan. He said they suffered broken bones when they fell about 20 feet, but he declined to detail the extent of the injuries.
The municipal workers were alone in the building at 171 Bay Ave., but a passerby apparently heard the collapse and called for emergency responders, Geoghegan said.
The women were admitted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune.
The borough recently selected architect Kevin Settembrino of Settembrino Architects, Red Bank, to design a 15,000-square-foot Municipal Building to replace the damaged one. The new building is to accommodate the same entities as the former Municipal Building: borough offices, police, court/meeting room and First Aid Squad.
Where exactly the new Municipal Building is to be located has yet to be determined, Geoghegan said.
Now, borough offices are scattered around town.