Council ponders center repairs

Township looking into how to expand the Community Center in Woodlot Park.

By: Joseph Harvie
   The Township Council is considering a plan to expand the Community Center in Woodlot Park, Township Councilman Joe Camarota said Wednesday.
   The Community Center, built in 1978, has been on the council agenda for more than a year. The building needs expansion and an upgrade that will bring it up to date, Mr. Camarota said. No price tag has been set.
   It currently has two classrooms, a kitchen, offices for the Department of Recreation and Community Affairs and a gym area that does not have a regulation-size basketball court. Only the offices are air-conditioned, not the gym.
   The facility is home to a part-time nursery school and classes for developmentally disabled residents, cooking and photography courses and open-gym basketball programs.
   The council adopted a resolution Tuesday rejecting bids for an architectural assessment of the building. Mr. Camarota, the council liaison to the Recreation Advisory Board, said that the bids were rejected because the proposals did not reflect what the council believes needs to be reviewed.
   He said that the bids were for $65,000 and would have given an architectural firm until November to perform a needs assessment and demographic study of the township to see what additions would benefit the Community Center, in addition to a structural assessment of the center to see what type of renovations could be done.
   "We don’t need to spend $65,000 for someone to tell us we need a bigger gym and more office space," Mr. Camarota said. "We all live in the township, we know what we need there."
   Mr. Camarota said the council has had the building inspected much like a house would get inspected prior to a renovation project.
   "We wanted to know that the structure could handle an addition," Mr. Camarota said.
   In July, the Township Council adopted a bond ordinance that set aside $1 million to renovate the Community Center. Mayor Frank Gambatese said Tuesday that he sent a letter to the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders asking for an additional $1 million to help with the renovation project.
   "With $2 million we can do a really good job," Mayor Gambatese said. "This is not going to be a new center, but an up-to-date facility that will last us into the future."
   Mr. Camarota said that the facility is in need of a new gym, because the current one is not a regulation-size basketball court. Also, the facility needs more office space for recreation personnel, Mr. Camarota said.
   In addition, the facility is in need of air-conditioning in the gym.