OCEANPORT — The Borough Council took the first step last week toward clearing up the murky future of Borough Hall, which is still only partially inhabitable after superstorm Sandy.
Following an executive session during the Aug. 15 meeting, the Borough Council unanimously authorized the borough administrator to solicit quotes from three architectural firms to complete a study required by FEMA addressing what it would take to provide the borough with a new Borough Hall.
Mayor Michael Mahon said the firm would be contracted to examine the options available, including whether to rehabilitate the current building or relocate to another location.
According to Mahon, the FEMA report would be the one central task of the contract.
“There is an action item that I’ll need consent from the council to hire an architectural firm to prepare a document that is required from FEMA and the state of New Jersey — specifically, for a technical report that needs to be done as part of this application in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy,” he said.
While there is no cost stipulation on the project, the firm must have experience dealing with FEMA-related work.
An estimated 4 feet of water swept through the Borough Hall meeting room during the Oct. 29 superstorm, while up to 18 inches of water flooded the rest of the building, including the library.
Since the storm, the offices of the clerk and tax assessor have reopened in Borough Hall, while the municipal court continues to operate in Shrewsbury.
The courtroom, which doubles as the council meeting room, is the lowest-lying section of Borough Hall and remains unusable. The Borough Council has been meeting at Maple Place Elementary School since the storm.
Mahon previously said the borough’s plan is to make short-term repairs to the current Borough Hall, which was built in 1965.
The council also announced during the meeting plans to apply for a $250,000 matching grant from the Monmouth County Open Space grant program that would fund repairs to the boat ramp and bulkhead at Blackberry Bay Park.
The park is a 15-acre tract off Port-Au- Peck Avenue and contains two softball fields, two soccer fields, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a roller hockey rink, a pool and a playground.
Councilman Gerald Bertekap said the recreation committee has signed off on the project.
According to Bertekap, the borough intended to submit an application for work on Trinity Park, a pocket park on Trinity Avenue that has rusted basketball hoops, a rusted fence and uneven pavement marred by cracks.
However, he said the county would not be funding work on pocket parks during this upcoming grant cycle.
“They didn’t want to spend the money that way, but there was a preference to send money to Sandy-affected communities — of which we are one,” he said.
However, the borough will be up against a compressed timeline, as an application was previously being prepared for Trinity Park.
“You’re going to need concept plans for the scope of what you’re going to do,” Borough Engineer William White said.
Last year the borough applied for a grant for Trinity Park, which was ultimately rejected.
Another issue for Blackberry Bay Park is that the lights at the tennis courts currently do not work.
According to Interim Borough Administrator Phil Huhn, the total cost for replacing the lights is $5,350.
Mahon said the borough would hire a contractor for the work.
A public hearing for the grant application is scheduled for the Sept. 5 council meeting at Maple Place Elementary School.