Matawan oks construction firm to renovate historic house

MATAWAN–The Borough Council awarded the bid for the Major John Burrowes Mansion Rehabilitation Project to Drill Construction Company, Inc.

The historic Burrowes Mansion was first constructed in 1723. Repairs have been made to the property as funding permits, but typically, the Borough of Matawan does not have the resources needed to make repairs and advance restoration in a holistic way that addresses the long-term needs of the property, according to information provided by the borough.

The borough received seven authorized bids for project, according to Borough Administrator Louis Ferrara.

The council approved the resolution to award the bid to Drill Construction Co., Inc. on Dec. 18 during its semi-monthly meeting at the municipal building.

Since the grant is a matching grant, the borough will pay the remaining balance for the project, according to Mayor Joseph Altomonte.

The estimated total construction cost for the first phase of the project is roughly $300,000, according to information provided by the borough.

According to the Sept. 20 council agenda, requiring exterior and interior repairs, the mansion’s required improvements include: restore all exterior siding and woodwork; remove exterior storm windows and restore all windows; provide new wood shutters; restore exterior doors and provide new doors; new cedar shake roofing at select locations; new standing seam metal roofing at rear shed roof; new and restored cedar shake siding; structural framing repairs at room 203 floor; structural framing repairs at room 104 floor; prep and paint entire exterior; minor masonry restoration; tent and fumigate building for powder post beetle treatment; new slab, drainage, footings and steel columns at basement (work requires monitoring by archaeologist during excavation); new fixed interior storm window panels throughout; and New Jersey Historic Trust project sign and permanent marker.

Since the bid has been awarded, the borough engineer will meet with the builder and will have pre-construction meetings to discuss the construction schedule during the first two weeks of January, according to Ferrara.

The council also approved Change Order No. 1 for the Gravelly Brook Park Rehabilitation Project’s Phase I.

“At the entrance to the park, there are curbs that have wooden beams [and] in the old days, that would be able to stop a car from entering the park. What we are afraid of is in this day and age, a four-by-four car can go right over the curb and go onto the baseball field,” Ferrara said. “So I asked for a price to extend the fence so they can’t jump the curb.”

Composed of three improvement phases, the Gravelly Brook Park project currently is in Phase one, which started on May 17, according to Altomonte.

The change order will not delay the overall project, according to Altomonte.

Phase I consists of: site clearing earthwork soil and erosion control, multipurpose baseball and soccer fields, field under drain system and outlets, field irrigation system, including water service, and demolition of outdated and dilapidated building, according to Altomonte.

Phase I was paid by using a $250,000 grant, according to Altomonte.

With the change order only adding a few dollars to the project, Ferrara said, “We have saved money in other places. We already had an accumulated savings from the original bid, so it will offset most of it, and there’s really no difference.”

According to Altomonte, the Phase II improvements that are part of this application include: necessary site work to clear and prepare the site for the facilities outlined; a new 60-foot-by-104-foot basketball court to replace the one that is currently unusable; a new 40-foot-by-45-foot tot lot with new playground equipment; new lighting for the sports fields currently being upgraded as part of Phase I that will significantly extend the usable hours and days that baseball, softball, soccer and other sports can utilize the fields; and new walkways that will improve safety and access to the new recreational facilities.

Phase II of the project has not started yet, according to Altomonte.