could be razed to make
way for community center
Old home on Route 522
could be razed to make
way for community center
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — The future of the Dreyer house that sits in the middle of the Manalapan Recreation Center, Route 522, could be determined on Jan. 8.
The Township Committee has set that date to continue discussion of a recommendation put forth by a panel looking into the establishment of a teen-community center to demolish the circa 1845 home and build a new facility.
The teen-community center committee made its report to the governing body on Dec. 4.
Henry Rose, a member of the teen-community center committee, said the Dreyer House, which is owned by the township, is not structurally sound and would be too expensive to renovate.
Mayor Rebecca Aaronson asked for a report on the structural soundness of the house.
Andy Marino, a member of the teen-community center committee with 14 years experience in building inspection, told Aaronson it would not be economically feasible to renovate the Dreyer house and make it a workable facility.
"The brick and mortar inside the exterior walls are crumbling. All exterior walls would have to be rebuilt. The main beams in the building are all sagging 2 to 3 inches. All girders would have to be replaced. The foundation walls are buckling. There is extensive termite damage to the main beams," he told the members of the governing body.
Marino said that since the house was not going to be used for residential purposes, all structures would have to be upgraded.
Where residential floors are usually designed to hold 40 pounds per square foot, a community center would need to be designed to hold a 100-pound-per-square-foot load, he told the mayor.
"That would be about two-and-a-half times stronger than they are now," Marino said. "We would have to put in all new girders."
Rose said the existing house is 3,600 square feet. A proposed new community center facility would be 6,700 square feet and would have a Colonial style and could sit on the same location.
"The cost of that is approximately $500,000," he told municipal officials.
A concept for the structure was shown to the Township Committee members.
Deputy Mayor Bill Scherer said, "If we determine that tearing it (the Dreyer house) down is the best economical and useful manner for that building, is rebuilding a new building on that spot the prime answer or are there other spots for it?"
Rose said the community center committee wanted a place that was accessible and noted the proximity of the recreation center to Manalapan High School and to police headquarters. He also pointed to the lack of use by teenagers of the old community center on Route 33, a facility which was not centrally located in Manal-apan.
Regarding the proposed location of the teen-community center, Township Com-mitteewoman Beth Ward said she would not consider putting it anywhere but at the recreation center.
Scherer asked about a large room shown in the center of the architectural plan.
"Is that a place for a band or music?" he asked.
Rose said it was a large meeting room which could be used for many purposes. He said there are different concepts that have to be examined. Rose said the drawing shown to the governing body was only a preliminary concept plan.
Aaronson asked if something could be saved, such as the fireplace, from the Dreyer house.
Rose said it might be possible to keep some parts of the old building to have some connection with the past.
Township Committeewoman Mary Cozzolino suggested that the community center committee might want to get some input from the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield in terms of the appearance of the new structure.
"I know they’ve refurbished other houses throughout town," Cozzolino said. "They may be a good resource for you."
Township Committeeman Drew Shapiro noted that grants are available from private firms and that the teen-community center committee is on the right track.
Discussion also centered on having private firms involved in the center.
"The next step is to determine if the (Dreyer) house is definitely going to come down," said Rose. "And if so, when?"
A Jan. 8 date was set for the members of the governing body to give their determination regarding the Dreyer house, and in the interim, contact will be made by the community center committee to obtain ideas and suggestions from the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield.