By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – The Borough Council in Freehold Borough is preparing to reorganize for the new year.
On Jan. 7, Mayor Nolan Higgins and members of the council will hold the 2017 reorganization meeting at 5 p.m. in Borough Hall, 51 W Main St. Formal action will be taken, according to borough officials. The meeting is open to the public.
The council will provide the dates of when meetings will be held in 2017.
The council members – Democrats Kevin Kane, Jaye Sims, Michael DiBenedetto, George Schnurr, Sharon Shutzer and Ron Griffiths – will elect a council president for 2017 and appointments will be made to municipal boards and committees.
The hiring of professionals who will work for Freehold Borough during the upcoming year will be announced.
Kane and Sims, who were re-elected in the 2016 municipal election, will be sworn in to begin serving new three-year terms on the council.
Higgins said, “2016 was another good year for the borough. We are very excited about the work which is underway at the (former) Bennett Street School. After many years of being idle, the building is being renovated for office use. The borough’s redevelopment plan is moving to the next phase.
“Downtown Freehold had another banner year promoting our downtown,” the mayor said. “The concerts were a great success, our restaurants were crowded and our community is thriving. We received very welcome news that our school system is receiving funding from the state.
“In 2017, we will continue to build on what happened in 2016,” Higgins said. “Infrastructure improvements will be our focus this year. Our aging water plant is in need of attention to make certain it remains compliant with all New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations and standards. Additionally, we need to address Borough Hall with timely and cost-effective improvements.”