Beach Haven Council hosting public comment session for new borough hall project

Anyone interested in learning more about Beach Haven’s municipal complex project is invited to partake in a public comment session with council members and project officials on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. The discussion will be held at the old Coast Guard station, located at 420 Pelham Ave., which has been acting as the town’s temporary borough hall since Superstorm Sandy wrecked the main building on Engleside Avenue.

Photo by Ryan Morrill
The town's Emergency Operations Center
is a former Coast Guard building along the bay.

Point Pleasant-based Robert Sebring, who designed Barnegat Light’s borough hall and also rendered Ship Bottom Borough Hall’s expected renovations, has been hired as the architect for the municipal building, which will accommodate administrative offices, emergency management and the police department. The project will also include the refurbishment of the police department building for housing the building and zoning departments as well as the public works administrative offices.

Sebring and Borough Engineer Frank Little will be in attendance at the meeting.

“The purpose of this meeting is to update the town on the new municipal building construction project and present the architectural plans,” said Beach Haven Mayor Nancy Taggart Davis. “The meeting will be chaired by the borough council and will include the borough engineer and project architect. Together we will outline the construction timeline, building amenities and discuss funding, including grants received.”

In March, the council approved an ordinance appropriating $5 million to finance the cost of the reconstruction. The N.J. Economic Development Authority and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, which is covering 25 percent of the project through an Economic Development Grant, gave the town the authority to expend the funds in June.

Demolition of the municipal building is expected to begin after Labor Day.

To address everyone’s concerns, a list of questions and answers surrounding the project is available on the borough’s website at beachhaven-nj.gov/new-municipal-complex-qa/.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.