Town Hall Collapse 4/8/04
April showers might bring May flowers, but March rains brought down the house.
The Hazlet Township Municipal Building was condemned, which put an old and historically contentious issue on the very top of Mayor Paul Coughlin’s agenda.
Where do we build a new town hall?
Several past administrations have tried to address the problem of our dilapidated municipal building. During the tenure of former Mayor Christopher Cullen, the township attempted to initiate a plan to convert the township library building into a new town hall.
The citizens of Hazlet soundly rejected this plan as irresponsible and unrealistic, primarily because it included closing the library for over two years and underestimated the cost of a new library by several million dollars.
The options available to this committee are limited. Because space is at a premium in Hazlet, creativity will be essential to the management of a satisfactory resolution.
Several citizens have mentioned the empty retail stores and land along Highways 35 and 36. Highway frontage is prime real estate and, therefore, the most expensive. The empty retail stores are mostly for rent or long-term lease. Along with an overdeveloped and urban sprawl character, traffic congestion is already a problem at most of the currently available locations.
Many ideas suggest rebuilding at 319 Middle Road. The current site may not adequately support a large building, due to the adjacent creek. Hazlet could end up experiencing the same problem in 30 years.
Much of the land that is already owned by the township is protected by Green Acres. Hazlet has accepted grants to purchase such land, which often restrict land use options.
The township will need to issue bonds to cover costs of the land and the construction of a new facility. Other governments (county, state, federal) might provide aid in the form of grants, emergency aid or low rate loans, but approval is uncertain and the application process is lengthy.
The current administration responsibly hired a grant-writing firm earlier this year. I assume these professionals are now hard at work on this urgent project.
The public will, and should, have many, and varied, ideas regarding the issue of Hazlet’s future municipal building. Our 2004 township committee is demonstrating their commitment to learning the opinions and concerns of Hazlet residents.
If you have comments or questions regarding the new town hall, please look for meeting times in the public notices section of your local paper, online at township official site: www.hazlettwp.org , or the privately owned, informational and forum site: www.hazlet.info.
Township committee members and township personnel reacted swiftly, professionally and productively to remedy Hazlet’s sudden loss of office space. I believe we can trust them to apply similar intentions to realizing a more permanent solution.
The Hazlet Township Municipal Building was condemned, which put an old and historically contentious issue on the very top of Mayor Paul Coughlin’s agenda.
Where do we build a new town hall?
Several past administrations have tried to address the problem of our dilapidated municipal building. During the tenure of former Mayor Christopher Cullen, the township attempted to initiate a plan to convert the township library building into a new town hall.
The citizens of Hazlet soundly rejected this plan as irresponsible and unrealistic, primarily because it included closing the library for over two years and underestimated the cost of a new library by several million dollars.
The options available to this committee are limited. Because space is at a premium in Hazlet, creativity will be essential to the management of a satisfactory resolution.
Several citizens have mentioned the empty retail stores and land along Highways 35 and 36. Highway frontage is prime real estate and, therefore, the most expensive. The empty retail stores are mostly for rent or long-term lease. Along with an overdeveloped and urban sprawl character, traffic congestion is already a problem at most of the currently available locations.
Many ideas suggest rebuilding at 319 Middle Road. The current site may not adequately support a large building, due to the adjacent creek. Hazlet could end up experiencing the same problem in 30 years.
Much of the land that is already owned by the township is protected by Green Acres. Hazlet has accepted grants to purchase such land, which often restrict land use options.
The township will need to issue bonds to cover costs of the land and the construction of a new facility. Other governments (county, state, federal) might provide aid in the form of grants, emergency aid or low rate loans, but approval is uncertain and the application process is lengthy.
The current administration responsibly hired a grant-writing firm earlier this year. I assume these professionals are now hard at work on this urgent project.
The public will, and should, have many, and varied, ideas regarding the issue of Hazlet’s future municipal building. Our 2004 township committee is demonstrating their commitment to learning the opinions and concerns of Hazlet residents.
If you have comments or questions regarding the new town hall, please look for meeting times in the public notices section of your local paper, online at township official site: www.hazlettwp.org , or the privately owned, informational and forum site: www.hazlet.info.
Township committee members and township personnel reacted swiftly, professionally and productively to remedy Hazlet’s sudden loss of office space. I believe we can trust them to apply similar intentions to realizing a more permanent solution.
posted by Rich Kohler at 7:50 AM
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