Sea Bright Police, First Aid Headquarters and Firehouse To Be Demolished

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Sea Bright Borough officials are looking to demolish the storm-damaged century-old police headquarters and firehouse and replace them with new buildings. Photo courtesy Chritopher Clarity
Sea Bright Borough officials are looking to demolish the storm-damaged century-old police headquarters and firehouse and replace them with new buildings. Photo courtesy Christopher Clarity


THE BOROUGH COUNCIL, at its regular meeting on April 7, passed a resolution that authorized advertising to obtain bids to for the demolition of the firehouse and the police headquarters.
Because of damage the buildings received during Super Storm Sandy in October, 2012, the fire and police departments have been operating out of temporary quarters.
The police headquarters are in trailers located near the old office and the fire department is on South Street.
In a March, 2014 interview, Police Chief John Sorrentino said of the police department and first aid headquarters that “We found mold in the floor and in the walls.”
“Every wall in this building had water in it from Sandy. The roof leaked from Sandy. The water came in the doors from Sandy,” he said.
Sorrentino said that the main part of the building that housed the police and first aid building is about 100 years old with additions around 80 years old.
The firehouse was condemned after building officials said it was unsafe to be occupied.
Borough Administrator Joseph Verunni said Wednesday that plans call for two new buildings, the expected cost of which would be about $11 million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would pay up to 90 percent of the cost, he said.
Sea Bright Borough officials are looking to demolish the storm-damaged century-old police headquarters and firehouse and replace them with new buildings. Photo courtesy Chritopher Clarity
Sea Bright Fire Dept. building. Photo courtesy Christopher Clarity

One building would be placed on the foot- print of the existing firehouse, Verunni said, and would contain the fire department and police headquarters.
The other would serve as a community center and contain facilities for the beach, including rest rooms and lifeguard quarters, and public meeting rooms and the town’s library, he said.
The total new space would be 5,000 square feet for the beach building and 9,500 square feet for the other building, according to Verunni.
He said this would be less than the footage of the four buildings; the firehouse, police headquar ters, the librar y and the beach pavil- ion that were being replaced.
The new buildings, Verunni said, would have to conform to FEMA requirements. They have “to go up in the air on pilings,” he said, and the utilities will be run from the top down.
He said the future of the existing Borough Hall is still under discussion.
The large room in the Borough Hall that was previously used for community meetings is no longer available since Sandy, Verunni said, because the borough staff for the many services that are now needed because of the storm is now using it. The room has to be locked at night, he said for both privacy and security reasons since public records are being stored there.
Verunni said that there would be about an 18 month to two-year period before the new buildings would be in service.