HIGHTSTOWN: Council debates Borough Hall replacement

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
HIGHTSTOWN — The ongoing need for a replacement for Borough Hall was the council’s topic at its Aug. 18 meeting.
"As I think everyone is aware, in another 10 days or so it will be three years that we got hit with Irene and Borough Hall and the Police Department facilities have been closed since," said Mayor Steven Kirson. "I just wanted to start the conversation."
Mayor Kirson asked the council to answer what their intentions are and how they feel about whether or not the borough should rebuild the facility.
Council President Susan Bluth said she does not "feel a new facility needs to be built in that location or anywhere else."
"We’ve been functioning very well for the past three years over at the Public Works building," said Ms. Bluth. "I believe there could be renovations done to accommodate it even more."
She commented on the FEMA flood maps, also.
"Say that area floods. We have possible, hopeful redevelopment going on across the street with the Rug Mill which will serve to start to revitalize the borough," she said. "That property will definitely fall in with the revitalization."
She noted there was a resolution "on the books" that it’s council’s intention to rebuild in the same spot.
"I would like to see another resolution being put forth saying that’s this council’s intention is not to rebuild the building," she said.
"I don’t think we need to rebuild Borough Hall," Council member Rob Thibault agreed. "They are functioning very well."
He noted the issue for him was if they "were still in potential violation of state and federal codes for the police station."
"I think we need to look at what we are going to do with the Police Department before we truly run afoul with state and federal regulators," he said.
"I would be interested if a couple of my colleagues said they had ideas about other locations," he said.
Mayor Kirson questioned if the current location of the borough employees at the Public Works Department is going to be the "ultimate home."
"If that is the ultimate home for administration for the next few years there will be some additions; we need to have better facilities for storage of records," he said. "We’ve got stuff all scattered in the garage and basements which are not the best places for our records and not the safest places."
He said that the employees, as far as the administration, is "more comfortable" where they are working now than when they were working at Borough Hall.
"The building itself was very, very small, very uncomfortable and chopped up," he said. "It was not a very productive workspace."
Mr. Thibault noted that the council will need to decide what to do with the municipal court.
"Are we going to be able to continue to use Robbinsville or not?" he said. "Or do we look to do a shared service with our court because building a new courtroom would be prohibitively expensive because of all the new code regulations relating specifically to courts."
Mayor Kirson redirected the focus back on the "desire" of the council to rebuild Borough Hall in a similar location downtown or to look to other places within the borough.
"I look at having that Borough Hall in a very important section of town," he said. "If we are going to have a vital downtown we would like to see some facilities that would bring people in at night and on weekends."
Mayor Kirson pointed out that people are not going to be driving into town looking for Borough Hall but rather places to dine and visit.
"I know that when I’m traveling I don’t go and stop at a gas station and ask the attendant ‘Where’s your Borough Hall?’¦" he said. "I usually ask them where can I get a nice lunch, where can I get a good burger."
Council member Steve Misiura, former Planning Board chairman, said that it is the redevelopment zone and wants to leave "the options wide open for full potential of development of that site."
"If we have potential developers like something may actually start to happen there I’d rather leave our options open," said Mr. Misiura. "They may find value in that site and it should be looked at as part of the Master Plan."
"I would like to see what the options are and what functions we can detach from that and add shared services on," he said in regards to the proposal and what to do with the police station and the court.
"I would ask the (Police) Director (James LeTellier) for suggestions if there are certain components — dispatch, what have you, — that can be detached from a centralized police station and we can still function," he added.
Council member Denny Hansen noted that her feelings have not changed.
"Generally I feel the way I’ve felt all along on this: not building where it was and not spending a lot of money to put new buildings up when our intent is really to share services either to some degree, to many degrees, or to a large degree," said Ms. Hansen. "It just doesn’t feel and still doesn’t feel — even more so now — there seems to be an appetite for other things happening that we really need to explore, not block by thinking that we would even put a police department there in the old location."
She noted that she thinks they should only "do what we have to do but gain some momentum in coming to some conclusions with better shared services."
Council member Seth Kurs pointed out that when they had the joint council and Planning Board meeting there was "a lot of support for the artists’ lofts option for the redevelopment of the Rug Mill."
"I think having the ability to utilize what is currently the old Borough Hall space for possible redevelopment, I think a developer would love to see Main Street access," said Mr. Kurs, adding that it is a possible opportunity for commercial use of the space.
He noted that the space could give the artists a "possible place for a gallery or something to bring in foot traffic to downtown Hightstown."
"That’s what we really need," he said. "Increase the foot traffic, increase the people utilizing the services that are here that we all recognize it. We bring and encourage other people to come into the borough."
Council member Larry Quattrone agreed that the administration and police department are "functioning."
"We have things happening in the borough right now," said Mr. Quattrone. "It’s like ‘let’s not jump into the stew yet.’ It’s happening. Let’s just let it go a little bit longer and see what happens with the law. See what the intent is with of the developer."
He noted if that is the case "then we find another site."
"I just think we are a little bit early yet to make this big decision where to be and what to do," he said.
Mayor Kirson questioned if the council wanted to defer it "for just a little bit."
"The feeling that I am getting sounds as if we should be looking at other locations in the borough for an opportunity to place the structure if need be," he said.
He asked if council wanted to form a committee to look around for other locations or "wait awhile."
"I think we should kind of sit and wait and leave our options open," Mr. Misiura said.
Mr. Thibault noted that there is "not much empty property within the borough."