People in wheelchairs currently must go around to the rear entrance to access a ramp at Oceanport Borough Hall. KENNY WALTER OCEANPORT — A federal grant will help fund improvements to Borough Hall that will bring the facility into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The Borough Council approved two procedural resolutions during the April 5 meeting that will pave the way for receipt of a $121,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) that will fund a new chair lift as well as improvements to restrooms and an accessible entry ramp.
“One of the problems that we encountered over the years was if we have a person in a wheelchair, there are no bathroom facilities that they can use,” Kim Jungfer, borough business administrator, explained in an interview.
“[And] to go from the meeting room to the rest of the building, you can do it, but you have to go outside around [the building] and back inside.
“[The improvements are] not something we are being forced to do, but it is something we choose to do,” she added. “It is a good project, and all our residents will be able to fully utilize our building.”
While there currently is a ramp leading into the building, located at 222 Monmouth Blvd., Jungfer said the ramp is not accessible to individuals with disabilities.
“We do have the ramp, but technically it is not compliant, so we should correct that,” she said. “ForADA, it has to go at a certain incline, and it is too steep right now according to ADA standards.
“So we have to elongate it so that the grade is proper, and then the railings need to be replaced.”
Jungfer said power doors would be added to the project.
She also explained the changes being made to the building’s bathrooms to bring them into compliance with the ÅDA.
“One of the stalls in each bathroom and one sink in each bathroom and the doorways need to be modified so that they are ADA- compliant,” Jungfer said.
She said the chairlift would allow visitors in wheelchairs to maneuver through the building.
While the grant will fund $121,000, Jungfer said the project is projected to cost $145,000 and the borough will pick up any excess costs.
“If the project goes over, the borough has committed to whatever additional funds are necessary,” she said. “If it comes in under $121,000, we will only get reimbursed for that which we expend.”
She said the project would go out to bid in about a month and the work is expected to start by the end of summer.
The project would likely take two to three months before construction, and Jungfer said it would not put a burden on borough employees.
“We can all work around it,” she said.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds CDBG grants and they are administered by Monmouth County.
According to the county website, the CDBG program awards almost $4 million annually for the county’s Housing Improvement Program, Fair Housing Board and Office of Emergency Home Repair Program as well as for nonprofit and municipal projects.

