Old church
to get new
life as day
care center
Second Baptist Church’s
Throckmorton Street plan
approved by zoning board
By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY Approval from the Freehold Borough zoning board will allow educational consultant Felicia Stradford and the Rev. Andre McGuire of the Second Baptist Church, Throckmorton Street, to convert an old church (pictured) into a day care center.
FREEHOLD — A new day care center in the community is on the horizon.
At its meeting March 25, the Zoning Board of Adjustment approved an application that will allow the Second Baptist Church, Throckmorton Street, to open a day care center.
The day care center will feature educational activities for youngsters from 2 months to 5 years old. It will be located in the old church that is next to the present Second Baptist Church at the corner of Haley Street. The old church is more than 100 years old.
The plan was presented to five board members by attorney Warren Smith of Plainfield in front of a host of congregants and neighbors who came to the meeting at Borough Hall to support the project.
An initial hearing was held Dec. 17. Smith returned last week with answers to questions that were posed by the board in December and a new polished project plan prepared by Mid-State Engineering, Freehold.
At the end of the presentation, the project won the unanimous approval of all five sitting board members — Chairman Kevin Mulligan, Connie Murray, Jean Holtz, William Madigan and Catherine Buchalski.
Because a portion of the property is in a residential zone, the application required a use variance. The board also made allowances for pre-existing setback conditions that do not meet current requirements. An unlighted sign was also part of the application.
Engineer Chester DeLorenzo, representing the applicant, said the proposed plan involves converting the old church into the day care center by essentially gutting the interior of the structure. A bathroom will be upgraded, and the proposal also calls for the existing kitchen and a stage to be removed to make more room for open space. Children will be bring their own lunches and snacks, thereby eliminating the need for a fully functioning kitchen. A microwave oven and a refrigerator will be on site.
The structure would also see the installation of new windows and there are plans to stucco the building’s exterior. In addition, a shed and a two-story structure, both located at the rear of the church, will be removed in order to make room for 5,233-square-foot playground. The playground will be fenced and have two gates as access points into the area.
DeLorenzo said the access for drop-off and pick-up areas for the children will be on Avenue A, not on Throckmorton Street. Children will be dropped off at the rear of the building in the parking lot. The proposed plan detailed 47 parking spaces for the day care center.
Landscaping and lighting were also discussed and will be determined as a combined effort between DeLorenzo and William Wentzien, the zoning board’s engineer, at a later date.
DeLorenzo said the exterior lighting of the center would be minimal in order not to impact on the residential area located just behind the proposed day care center. He proposed low lighting, just enough to be suitable for safety.
DeLorenzo called the day care center proposal a positive addition to the community which he said will provide a needed service.
"This is a perfect transition property as well," the applicant’s engineer said. "We are in between a commercial and a residential area. This site is particularly suited for this, and the proposal’s benefits far outweigh its deterrents. There is an inherently beneficial effect when a church is in a residential zone. Day care in the community will save travel time and give parents the comfort and security of having day care in their own backyard. They’ll be leaving their children with people they can trust."
The day care center will be operated by a not-for profit organization, according to testimony provided to the board.
Also testifying for the applicant was Bernard Larkins of East Brunswick.
Larkins has acted as a deacon and as amember of the board of trustees of the Second Baptist Church for 12 years.
Larkins talked about the day care center’s hours of operation, which would begin at 7 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, allowing extra flexibility for parents. He said the congregants of the church alone would appreciate having the day care center in their hometown.
Felicia Stradford of Manalapan is expected to be the director of the day care center. Stradford is an educational consultant who said the goal of the center will be to fill the 1,400-square-foot structure with 36 children. She told board members that in addition to herself, there would be five full-time staff members and seven part-time employees, depending on the children-to-staff ratio.
Stradford said the day care center will be set up as one large room with movable partitions. The day care center will have room for only two infants to begin with. Early estimates include 10 to 15 toddlers and 19 preschool children.
Comments from board members were encouraging and positive.
Mulligan said there was a "need crying out" for such a facility and he wished the applicant good luck. Buchalski said "well done," while Madigan said he recognized the need for a day care center and commended the applicant for answering that need. He also said he wished them luck getting the project off the ground. Holtz said the day care center would be a definite improvement to the neighborhood.
Work on the Second Baptist Church day care center is expected to begin soon, but no estimated time line for completion was discussed at the meeting.