By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
OCEANPORT – Unpacking continues as the borough’s 35 employees settle in to their new municipal complex on Fort Monmouth, almost four years after entering into a purchase agreement with the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) for the 13.24-acre site.
Located near the Oceanport Avenue entrance and adjacent to Oceanport Creek, two main buildings house a modern police department at 930 Oceanport Way, approved by the New Jersey Department of Corrections, municipal offices and a courtroom. All operations, including the office of emergency management, first aid, department of public works and the fire department are now centralized in upgraded fort structures.
The borough’s former headquarters on Monmouth Boulevard was destroyed in Super Storm Sandy in 2012. In the interim, offices moved to the Old Wharf House, the borough council met at Maple Place School and other groups, including senior citizens, met in the Blackberry Park meeting room. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, most offices have been working remotely.
“We were the Blanche DuBois of municipalities, relying on the kindness of other municipalities for seven and one-half years,” said Mayor John “Jay” Coffey. “It will still be a while before we’re operating at full speed.” The court/municipal council room will be the last to be completed, Coffey said, as the borough is awaiting a “COVID-19-delayed custom wood delivery.”
“I am so happy our police department and our municipal employees will have 21st century facilities to serve the public, and I am also thrilled that our residents will have the ability to enjoy the benefits of 21st century services,” Coffey said. Formerly the base’s military police headquarters and then utilized by the NJ State Police, the parcel already had an equipped police facility. The building now home to borough hall formerly housed the for t’s Personnel and Training Director’s Office and the Citizen Personnel Advisory Center.
Rebuilding borough hall on its former site was cost prohibitive because, as Coffey noted, “FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) wouldn’t give us a dime if we rebuilt in a flood plain area. If we didn’t go to the fort, it would have cost us some $30 million.” The purchase price of the fort parcel was $1,053,000. The total expenditure was projected at $11 million in 2017. To offset costs, the borough received $5.5 million from FEMA, $250,000 from Mon- mouth County, $100,000 in grant money for a generator and close to $100,000 from other sources.
The municipal building and police building roofs had to be replaced and there was a mold condition at the municipal building which also caused delays and additional costs. Plans to install solar panels were rejected due to cost considerations, Coffey said.
The borough received $1.6 million for the sale of the old municipal building, slightly higher than the appraised value, Coffey said. It will be demolished to make way for 12 one-family homes to be built by Martelli Signature Homes of Lincroft. Coffey expects the homes to sell for about $1 million each, resulting in $12 million in ratables for the borough. He said Martelli submitted the sole response to its Request for Offers to Purchase due to the limitation on the number of homes imposed by the borough.
A community center on the fort site was demolished due to the cost associated with its rehabilitation, Coffey said, adding, “There were unforeseen additional costs associated with the rehabilitation of the municipal building and the police station, so the decision was made by the previous council to demolish the proposed community center building in order to adhere to the $11 million project cost projection. We needed a municipal building and a police building. We wanted a community center. The needs took precedence over our wants.”
“We will be seeking grant money from the state and/or the county for funds to build on our open space adjacent to the complex and we hope to reestablish a municipal recycling area on the fort,” Coffey explained. “Over time, finishing touches including flagpoles, the 9/11 memorial, veteran’s memorials… will be attended to. We have a lot of room for growth.” Several thousand feet of space is available in the rear of the police building and the open field to the right of the municipal building will allow for more options. A community garden is also planned.
While public offices remain closed due to the pandemic, there is a lobby drop box and video camera for conversations available so business can continue. A drone video of the new complex can be viewed on the borough website at oceanportboro.com.
Coffey repeatedly cited and thanked a long list of borough employees for their work to organize and execute the move, as well as Regina McGrade, FMERA operations director, whom he called “the unpaid, unofficial 21st civilian employee of Oceanport.”
Coffey lamented that Oceanport was unable to observe its 100th anniversary last year due to COVID-19, noting the borough’s Centennial Committee “had a whole schedule of events” planned that should be rescheduled later this year.
“We are hoping to have a ribbon cutting and municipal building dedication in the spring or early summer,” Coffey said. “The municipal building will be named the Clement V. Sommers Municipal Building in honor of the recently deceased former Oceanport mayor and councilman.” Sommers, who died in April at age 91, was also a local fire chief, first aid member, county freeholder and president of the Monmouth County Vocational School District.
“Oceanport’s relationship with FMERA had been fractured in the past but our former antagonistic relationship is over,” Coffey said. “This is a horse race. I say Tinton Falls was Secretariat, Eatontown was Affirmed and Oceanport was Mr. Ed. But Mr. Ed could talk and I never shut up.”
Noting that three of the borough’s biggest fort projects are helmed by businessmen who are residents, he said, “It’s Oceanport people investing in Oceanport. We are all working toward a common goal that will make Oceanport a better place to live.” The state has mandated Oceanport must have 720 residential units with 144 designated affordable, all being provided throughout various redevelopment projects.
“The FMERA team is proud to welcome the Oceanport Municipal Offices, Police Department, and Department of Public Works to the Fort,” said Bruce Steadman, FMERA executive director, Jan. 22. “We truly appreciate the time, money and multifaceted efforts the borough has invested. We have developed excellent working relationships with all of the borough’s departments and we look forward to those working relationships growing even more in the years ahead.”
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 4 – 10, 2021, print edition of The Two River Times.
