By John Yuro
NOTE: The borough ribbon cutting for the new Police Department and Community Center buildings is 9 a.m. Oct. 26. The date was changed from an earlier story that appeared in the Two River Times Oct. 2 about the new Department of Public Works building.
FAIR HAVEN – Fair Haven marked the completion of its renovated Department of Public Works facility last Friday, with Mayor Josh Halpern cutting a ceremonial blue ribbon. The project expands recycling options for residents by adding clothing donations, electronics drop-off and improved cardboard collection to handle the surge in packaging from home deliveries. Those services became available in August, ahead of Friday’s official event.
“This revitalized DPW center will support our hardworking DPW team and enhance our community’s operations for decades to come,” Halpern said. “I’m thrilled to stand here with neighbors, staff and elected leaders who made this project a reality.”
Council member Andrew LaBarbera, who chaired the Facilities Committee overseeing the project, highlighted upgrades to the 50-year-old site, including improved stormwater infrastructure, and the cost savings achieved. He said those savings came largely from reusing the structure’s existing foundation rather than rebuilding from the ground up.
“This DPW building was originally supposed to be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up – expanded toward Third Street,” LaBarbera said. “We reduced the scale of the project, honored the character of the neighborhood, and delivered a solution that was more practical, sustainable and responsive to the community’s needs.”
“The renovated DPW facility cost 142% less than the original design,” LaBarbera said. “That decision contributed directly to the broader result: We avoided $14 million in costs and reduced the tax burden on residents by 68% (Correction: 55%).”
The renovation is part of a wider facilities upgrade launched in October 2023, which also includes the borough’s police headquarters and community center. Together, those initiatives represent an $8.2 million investment in Fair Haven’s municipal infrastructure, with the community center partially supported by a $1.25 million federal grant. LaBarbera estimated the DPW renovation cost “around $3 million.”
“Throughout the process, we never lost sight of our north star – minimizing the impact of an industrial site in a residential neighborhood,” LaBarbera added, pointing to new landscaping as one example. The revised design reduced the DPW facility’s footprint, creating more adjacent green space.
The recycling center, located at 1 Allen St., is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed Sunday.
In addition to Halpern and LaBarbera, the Sept. 26 ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by past Facilities co-chair, council member Tracy Cole, borough administrator Christopher York, borough clerk Allyson Cinquegrana, DPW director Nicolas J. Poruchynsky, engineering director Richard Gardella, zoning officer Joseph Mule, and past and present members of the DPW staff.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completed police headquarters and community center is planned for Oct. 24.
The article originally appeared in the October 2 – October 8, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
