By Amy Batista, Special Writer
HIGHTSTOWN — The second special workshop meeting brought out more residents, organizations and business owners who expressed their opinions and concerns on the fate of Borough Hall on Wednesday.
Some borough representatives, such as the borough planner, engineer and police director, were on hand to address issues and concerns that arose during the meeting.
Approximately 40 people were in attendance at the meeting in contrast to the first special workshop on April 3, which was lightly attended.
Opinions of the people who spoke varied from wanting Borough Hall in the center of town while others spoke of relocating it away from the downtown.
One proposal was to relocate the municipal government, which has been operating out the Public Works building since Hurricane Irene hit the community with massive floodwaters at the end of August 2011, to property owned by Lucas Electric Co.
Other options included looking at restoring the Borough Hall to relocating to the abandoned rug mill property. Consolidation also was raised.
”Normally, my comments are saved for the end as they are with the council members, but tonight, I’m gonna just take a moment to speak to everyone here,” Mayor Steven Kirson said.
He continued, “Nine months later, we are here trying to resolve what happens to that building (Borough Hall) that’s across the street. It’s not just a building that stands across the street that we go back in and occupy. There are ramifications of the decisions of whether or not to go back in, when to go back in, (or) do we go some place else within the borough.”
He added, “The future is something I don’t think we look at often enough. I guarantee everyone here tonight that we will get through 2012, 2013. My concerns (are rooted) five, 10, 20 years forward.”
He asked everyone at the meeting to consider where the borough is going and to think on a higher level; to give them opportunities to grow and create a better place to live.
Mayor Kirson opened up the floor for public comments.
Most people were in favor of moving Borough Hall to the Lucas Electric property while others questioned the proposal.
”We, the trustees of Downtown Hightstown Inc., urge you to strongly consider the benefits of moving the Hightstown Borough Hall 0.8 miles from its present location to the Lucas Electric site,” said Ryan Rosenberg, of Hightstown, a founding member of the organization, as he read a prepared letter to council.
He said, “The next major leap of the downtown’s smart growth hinges on the potential expansion of our commercial corridor along Main Street and the development of the rug mill property (making it) much more attractive to developers, (while freeing) up the area for more creative and economically beneficial usage and place the site on the tax rolls.”
Bill Gilmore, of Greater Hightstown-East Windsor Improvement Project, said the organization completed a “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats” exercise, and the outcome was to relocate Borough Hall.
”We’re in sync on this situation,” Mr. Gilmore said. “I don’t know if this borough has ever taken the time to do some visioning, and I find that a weakness in itself so we took the time to try and do this ourselves.”
GHEWIP has sponsored at its own expense two studies painting possibilities for the future of Hightstown, according to Jay Zimmer, chairman of GHEWIP. The plans are available to read on the borough website via www.hightstownborough.com under the section on reports.
”Why is the Borough Hall the only piece of property that suffered major flood damage, which has not been rehabilitated?” asked J.P. Gibbons, of Hightstown. “I’m convinced that at this time there was a deliberate effort to destroy the building by allowing it to elapse into a mold problem.”
Fran Colombo, of Hightstown, and owner of the Tavern on the Lake, said the closer the Hightstown government gets to East Windsor, as would be the case with the Lucas property, consolidation is that much closer around the corner.
”I know a few of you had run on a platform at the last election to consolidate with East Windsor,” Ms. Colombo emphasized.
”There is no intrinsic value of keeping Borough Hall in its current location,” said Dan Buriak, of Hightstown, chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission.
”As the borough planner, I don’t see it as my job to tell you what choice is the best choice,” said Tamara Lee per a memo she sent to Borough Council.
According to Ms. Lee’s memo, the town had determined long before the storm that it had outgrown the existing and outdated Borough Hall. Hence, for several years, borough officials tried to generate a plan for new or renovated facilities during redevelopment efforts for the rug mill. In 2011, Hurricane Irene simply took the existing problem of an inadequate municipal building and elevated it on the borough’s priority list.
Ms. Lee recommended to council members that they need to complete their assessment and have a vision of where they would like to go, and from there she could help assess the pros and cons.
When it came time for the council to have a discussion, Council President Larry Quattrone addressed his peers.
”We’ve heard a lot of opinions here tonight, some facts,” he said. “I’d like you to really think before you make any kind of commitment tonight. Obviously, we’re are not moving on anything.”
He recommended that council members take a tour of the Lucas property who haven’t seen it yet as well as another space, referred to as the Shangle & Hunt property, before they make a commitment.
”I will make a commitment,” Councilman Rob Thibault said. “That commitment is that I will not approve anything, I will not vote for anything unless there is a financial analysis. We have not seen numbers on what it would cost to do anything.”
He added, “We have been denied the (financial) information. We need to address that.”
Councilman Thibault continued, “I will fight the town spending a penny of your money without a complete analysis of what the options are.” His statement was met with a round of applause from the public.
Susan Bluth, a council member, concurred she has been denied information on the matter she requested.
”I’m frustrated. My patience is running thin,” Councilwoman Bluth said. “We cannot consider anything until knowing what all the options are. Every option needs to be explored.”
”We need to see some figures,” added Councilwoman Gail Doran.
Ms. Doran noted that, in several meetings, she has heard the mayor say the Borough Council would be provided with the numbers while telling them to be patient.
”I’m not sure why the stalling is going on, and that’s what it is beginning to seem like . . . That there is a deliberate stalling (of) the process,” she said.
She then asked, “Are we trying to make it so that this is the only available opportunity?”
She added, “I would like to know why we are being driven to Lucas. I would truly like to know that. Why Lucas?”
As for her vision, “I would personally like to see Borough Hall stay somewhere downtown. I think it is absolutely vital to keeping that core in a small town . . . I need that focal point.”
”We were told that we may have a problem,” Councilwoman Lynne Woods said. “We kind of have a ticking clock here because of the mold situation in the police station. We were told that if the mold is left unchecked, especially over the summer, and it gets worse, we could be left holding the bag because we did not do anything to fix the situation.”
Councilwoman Woods added, “I’m a little stunned, too, with the drive that Lucas seems to have here.”
She continued, “I think we really need some help here in dealing with the insurance company because I’m afraid we are going to be locked into not having decisions.”
Several claims have been filed for insurance funds to pay for damages to Borough Hall. As of press time, there was no update of a final number being agreed to from insurance company representatives. Hightstown holds insurance through the Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund.
”The council has made it obvious that they want numbers,” Council President Quattrone said.
He asked Michael Theokas, business administrator, to come up with numbers.
However, other council members cut in and disagreed. They requested it be done by a third party.
”I think it should be done by a professional, not that you are not a professional,” Councilwoman Bluth said in reference to Mr. Theokas.
”Councilwoman, we have a different recollection of the meetings,” Mr. Theokas responded. “You would see that it’s an ongoing process. We’ve been trying to get these numbers for a long time, and there is a lot to it.”
He added, “There are no numbers that are being withheld.”
”I can assure you that there is no direction for Lucas Electric that I know of. We have never said that that is the only place to go,” Council President Quattrone said at the end of the meeting. “There’s nothing hidden. Everything has been brought out in the public.”
He continued, “We had a meeting tonight. Well, what did we learn? We heard everyone’s opinion; we learned some facts. Even our planner can’t give us any real direction until we figure out the number of square feet we need.”
He added, “To make that decision, you have to weigh everything, and you have nothing to weigh right now.”
Councilwoman Doran requested the discussion continue and be put on the agenda for Monday’s Borough Council meeting, which is set to open to the public at 7:30 a.m.

