BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer
The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority (FMERPA) announced last week it is preparing a draft. Request for Proposal (RFP) for the hiring of a master planner.
In addition, at the Jan. 17 meeting, the authority announced the hiring of an administrative assistant.
Frank Cosentino, executive director, reported that a draft has been completed of an RFP seeking a company that can work on the master plan for Fort Monmouth, which will close by 2011.
Nothing is going to happen until that is in place, he said, adding that the RFP will jump-start the creation of the plan.
“It is a sign of our moving forward,” he said.
Cosentino explained that the authority will look nationwide for a master planner.
“We will start to see this program fall into something other than conversation,” he said, noting that “It’s going to be a long, tough, road to hoe.”
Authority members voted to approve the hiring of Kimberly Welsh, a Tinton Falls resident who was hired as a full-time employee with a salary not to exceed $40,000 and benefits that amount to 36.2 percent of her salary.
With the hiring of Welsh, there are now four staff members; Cosentino, Rick Harrison, deputy director and Kathryn Verrochi, executive assistant.
Cosentino said during the meeting that there is a need for an administrative assistant because of a growing administrative burden. He added that he was impressed with Welsh’s background and computer skills.
In addition, Cosentino said they would not be hiring an accountant until the position is advertised. The advertisement was to be in the newspaper last weekend. Cosentino said he already has a candidate but he is seeking more applications. The job description will also be posted on the FMERPA Web site.
Harrison, who is in charge of maintaining the Web site, spoke about how the Web site is a work in progress and improvements are being added all of the time. There have been a lot of additions, he said, like the announcement of jobs. He added that there is still work to be done.
“We’re trying to develop a better road map,” he said.
There were many citizen advocates for affordable housing at the meeting. A number of them addressed the 10-member panel urging that affordable housing be included in the plan.
Cosentino said that housing falls under the purview of the Development Committee.
Eatontown Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo said that whatever happens at Fort Monmouth, it has to have an affordable housing component.
“We need a dedicated committee not one mixed in with development.”
But, Cosentino said, “I think it is a keynote of development, in my opinion, it needs to be addressed under the Development Committee.”
According to the panel’s bylaws, the authority chairman can change the venue occasionally. Last week it was held in the county Agricultural Building on Kozloski Road in Freehold Township.
The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 21, but since meetings are rotated between the three towns involved, Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, the location was still undetermined as of last week.