By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
OCEANPORT – For the second time in a month, officials, investors, stakeholders and guests gathered under an intense summer sun to witness a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a completed redevelopment project on the former Fort Monmouth.
About 100 people gathered Sept. 14 in front of the Fort Athletic Club, located in a former military school gymnasium, which has taken over four years to transform into a state-of-the-art fitness and lifestyle center. Located at 1600 Gosselin Ave. along Route 537 (Avenue of Memories through the fort), the facility is expected to open full time in October. From its logo to its features, The Fort Athletic Club pays homage to its military heritage. Retired Army Lt. Col. John Occhipinti, a veteran who served on the post in numerous capacities over the decades, most recent as site manager, has been tapped to be the club’s head of leadership and culture. He was chosen to serve as master of ceremonies at the ribbon-cutting, delivering opening and closing remarks.
“In 2011, it was sad guarding an empty base,” Occhipinti recalled after delivering a brief history of the 100-year-old facility known for developing advancements in communications technology and weaponry. “There are a lot of high-level professionals and home run hitters in this bunch. It (the redevelopment) will only continue to get better.”
Investor Chris “Shempy” Champeau, head basketball coach of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFHHS), shared how the two men met. Champeau initially visited the dilapidated former gym at the suggestion of fellow RFH basketball coach Dave Callahan who had heard it was going up for sale. Citing challenges the project faced that delayed its completion, Champeau, who will be leading a number of club programs, said, “I was doubtful at certain points it would happen, but now I’m fired up to be part of this.” Delivery of materials, pandemic-related delays, a change in contractors and more plagued the project from its earliest days.
Addressing the crowd, club CEO Scott Marchakitus quoted Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “Faith is taking the first step when you can’t see the staircase,” he said, adding, “Delays were costly and challenging, but the time gave us the opportunity to refine our plans.” He said the original building’s pool, which was leaking and beyond repair, “has been transformed into the most magnificent weight room you’ve ever seen.” Calling the facility “family centric,” he said, “I fell in love with this base and with this building in particular.”
The club’s “boutique studios” include Base Ops, EYS Fitness, Flight School and Hot Zone. Two eateries are named The Canteen and Mess Hall. A variety of programs utilizing the latest high-tech equipment – along with wellness aspects – will be complemented by youth athletic and training programs. Indoor and outdoor basketball courts will host leagues and training op- portunities. Indoors, some 2,000 square feet is dedicated to comprehensive physical therapy. Special events are also planned.
Marchakitus’s Fort Partners Group, LLC purchased the 7.2-acre site containing the 1950s-era fitness center for $2.3 million and launched a multimillion-dollar renovation of the 50,000-square-foot brick structure.
“This is one of those moments when you see the hard work come to fruition,” said Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey, an early skeptic of the fort’s massive redevelopment plans who now supports it and is a voting member of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), the agency overseeing the fort’s redevelopment. “Today, we can actually see it, feel it and touch it.” Tours of the facility were conducted for guests following the ceremony.
“The poignant message delivered by the speakers today highlighted the unique character of this project – a marrying of the past with the present and future,” said Bruce Steadman, FMERA executive director. “This project speaks to what redevelopment truly is. I’m so glad these people stuck with it.”
This article originally appeared in the Sept. 16 – 22, 202, print edition of The Two River Times.
