BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer
HOWELL – In 2004, after the Township Council approved the construction of a $150,000 building for the North Howell Little League, the governing body planned to buy the building back at the same cost upon its completion.
But at the council’s June 13 workshop meeting, two North Howell Little League board members, Kevin Dunshee and Mauro Raccuglia, asked for another $260,000 to cover additional costs of construction.
The building – where framework is complete – will include office space, a concession stand, storage space and rest rooms on the site of the North Howell Little League baseball field on Okerson Road near the Freehold Township border. The building was expected to be constructed by volunteer contributions of time and money, along with the township’s $150,000.
Given existing financial constraints, Mayor Joseph DiBella is hoping to find a compromise.
“What we need now is to collect more data and more information,” the mayor said. “The core root of the problem is that when the original number was presented, league officials may have underestimated the number.”
The mayor said Township Manager Thomas Czerniecki will meet with the youth baseball league’s representatives and the architect to discuss the project.
DiBella said officials need to find a “creative solution … in the best interest of the children. These leagues will be around to cater to young people long after we are gone, but we need to realize that we are in a budget.”
Councilman Robert Walsh balked at the process by which the construction of the building was handled and said the township should have been more involved.
When Dunshee and Raccuglia were pressed on the issue of cost, Raccuglia said the completion of the project would probably “be a lot less” than $260,000.
Raccuglia is running for a seat on the Township Council as a Republican.
Resident Tom Porricelli said he was most concerned by the fact that the building actually grew bigger from the original plans – from 2,700 square feet to 4,400 square feet.
Dunshee acknowledged that the building is bigger than proposed in the original plans, but said it is no more than 3,900 square feet.
Regardless of that information, DiBella said he plans to see the project through.
“We have invested significant money in recreation and we are going to continue to live up to that,” the mayor said. “It’s an important project that needs to be completed.”