SOUTH RIVER — Borough officials are working to move the Office of Emergency Management trailers off the former Lincoln School property on Maple Avenue.
“The Lincoln School is no longer usable,” said Mayor Raymond T. Eppinger, adding that the move should have been done years ago. “[Also] OEM and police headquarters are too close geographically, and OEM needs to be located in a secure location.”
The trailers will be moved to the Department of Public Works property on Ivan Way.
“The plan is to move the trailers to Ivan Way, place them permanently on a concrete slab, upgrade the interiors and connect the utilities and the communications antennas,” Eppinger said.
The mayor said OEM also currently uses the old Lincoln School itself to host the communications antennas and for utilities.
Locating the OEM on the former Lincoln School property was mentioned in a 2008 municipal facilities study by a retained architectural firm; however, officials cited problems with flooding on the site and the travel time from the location for emergency personnel.
BoroughAdministratorAndrew Salerno said he is currently working on the move, which he said will come with a cost, but the amount was not known.
— Kathy Chang