By Christina Whittington, Special Writer
HIGHTSTOWN — Council members disagree with the Planning Board’s recommendation to relocate Borough Hall from its original site on North Main Street to higher ground.
The facility has remained closed since Hurricane Irene hit Hightstown last summer in 2011. Once home to the Police Department and the municipal offices as well as the borough court, the former car dealership property today sits vacant.
Across the way on Bank Street, the municipal offices have been kept temporarily housed inside the Public Works building since September 2011. The Police Department now rents space in a Lucas Electric Co. building on Mercer Street. The court operates out of Robbinsville.
In September, Lexington Insurance agreed to pay up to $3.5 million to rebuild the municipal facility.
At Monday’s Borough Council meeting, members approved a resolution which rebuked a Planning Board letter advising the council that Borough Hall should not be rebuilt at 148 N. Main St. It passed with a 3-0 vote. Members Selena Bibens, Susan Bluth and Council President Larry Quattrone abstained.
In the resolution, the council reaffirmed its previous position to keep Borough Hall at its original location and disagreed with the Planning Board regarding its recommendation not to rebuild in a flood zone.
”I think the resolution expresses what we have discussed quite accurately,” Councilwoman Gail Doran said.
Ms. Doran and Mr. Quattrone were re-elected by voters Nov. 6 to fill three-year terms beginning in January. They defeated Republican challengers George Serrano and Denny Hansen.
Mr. Quattrone said at the Nov. 19 meeting, “I still disagree with moving against our planners . . . I don’t know why we pay these people, the few bucks we pay (Borough Planner) Tamara Lee and our engineers to ignore them. If this is the course that council wants to take, I will vote no to it.”
At a plethora of council meetings this year, Hightstown Mayor Steven Kirson has advocated renting space with Lucas Electric for borough offices. He has found fault in rebuilding Borough Hall downtown; instead, advocating to bring commercial businesses to the area.
Last year after the floodwaters of Irene capsized Peddie lake dam and flooded Borough Hall, asbestos was found in the building, according to Hightstown officials. The mayor said at that time he would not reopen the building until it was safe.
The council previously passed a resolution stating its intent to have Borough Hall administrative offices and the Police Department located downtown.
The council referred the resolution to the Planning Board because it was considered a capital improvement project. The planners rejected the council’s resolution in a 6-3 vote, saying the former site of Borough Hall is in a flood zone.
Because the council disagreed with the Planning Board’s recommendation, it needed to state its reasons by way of a resolution.
”At the beginning of the (Nov. 5) meeting, you added (this stance) as a discussion item . . . you had a draft response all prepared with enough copies for everyone,” Borough resident and Planning Board member Rick Pratt said. “This topic (of the Planning Board’s position) was purposely left off the agenda so that people wouldn’t show up and disagree with you. Sounds to me like you are violating the Sunshine Law again.”
The council stated in the resolution passed on Monday that, “Under the current (Federal Emergency Management Agency) flood map, the rear part of Borough Hall falls into 100-year flood zone while the front part of the building falls into a lower-risk area that only saw 3 or 4 inches of water.”
It also stated, “Under new proposed FEMA flood maps, the current footprint of Borough Hall is in the completely lower-risk 500-year flood area. Engineering surveys show the area nearest North Main Street is considerably higher than the rear part closer to the Mill property where, along with the Ely House and North Main Street, was not flooded during Hurricane Irene.
”The borough engineer, borough planner and architects consulted by the Borough Council have all stated that there are a variety of mitigation steps that can be taken to further ensure protection from and full accessibility in the event of another flood on the scale of the one caused by Hurricane Irene.”
”Would you want regular invasions of 3 to 4 inches of water in your house?” Mr. Pratt asked the council.
Mr. Pratt also provided the council with photos from 1934, showing high levels of water around the Borough Hall site.
”It doesn’t come as a surprise to me that council went ahead with this resolution,” said Planning Board Chairman Steven Misiura. “It became apparent to me when it was referred to the Planning Board that this issue of the location of Borough Hall, that they really weren’t going to take under consideration our advice.
”The fact that a meeting was scheduled to proceed forward with the resolution as you had it prior to us even giving our opinion to the council showed to me the utter disregard and contempt this council had for the Planning Board,” he said
The Lucas property was also discussed.
”Lucas is the simplest solution, not necessarily the most favorite solution, but it is the simplest solution,” said resident and Greater Hightstown-East Windsor Improvement Project member Bill Gilmore. “I would strongly encourage you to consider that site.”
Borough Engineer Carmela Roberts said that, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, there is groundwater contamination of benzene, ethylbenzene and toluene, but no soil contamination.
According to Ms. Roberts, the contamination is the responsibility of JCP&L.
Mr. Pratt said if a deciding factor against the Lucas property was the contamination, then it should be a deciding factor not to build at the current Borough Hall location because it was once used as an Esso station.
Mr. Pratt also said the vacant property on Maxwell Avenue being considered for a possible location for placement of a temporary trailer to house borough administrative offices is fifth on a DEP list of 17 contaminated sites within Hightstown (See related story on Page 1A).
”The vast majority of council meetings involve a lot of discussions regarding options for Borough Hall,” said Councilman Robert Thibault. “We have requested lots of information, we have presented lots of information because we thought it would be helpful to the public to look at the information bunched together. We have considered lots of options.”
The next Borough Council meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3.

