FREEHOLD – Municipal officials have appropriated $5 million to be used to relocate Freehold Borough’s firehouse, develop a modern bus station and improve a borough park.
On April 18, Borough Council members adopted a bond ordinance that will appropriate $5 million for capital improvements. The ordinance authorizes the issuance of $4.76 million in bonds or notes to help finance the costs.
According to the bond ordinance, $4.4 million of the $5 million appropriation will be used for three initiatives: one, the acquisition of property at Throckmorton and Broad streets so the Freehold Fire Department headquarters may be moved to that location from West Main Street; two, the construction of a new police and fire public safety facility; and three, the construction of a modern bus station. The cost of these initiatives will be partially covered by $4.19 million in bonds or notes.
The current firehouse is at 51 W. Main St. and the Freehold Borough bus station, which is a former railroad station, is at the corner of West Main and Throckmorton streets, next to the firehouse.
Councilman George Schnurr said the bond ordinance that was adopted on April 18 nullifies an earlier bond ordinance that would have appropriated $3.5 million for the firehouse’s relocation if it had been adopted. The $3.5 million bond ordinance was introduced in February, but did not reappear before the governing body.
The remaining $600,000 of the $5 million appropriation will fund planned improvements at Liberty Street Park. Officials will use a $250,000 Monmouth County open space grant and a $127,243 New Jersey Green Acres grant to help fund the improvements.
According to the bond ordinance, $570,000 in bonds or notes will help finance the Liberty Street Park project.
Improvements to the park are expected to include new basketball courts, refurbishing of the walking tracks, the construction of a parking lot, the addition of exercise stations, drainage improvements and the addition of a water fountain.
A down payment of $240,000 will cover the remaining costs, according to the bond ordinance.