For longtime residents Barry and Barbara Reich, Sea Bright has come a long way from the destruction of superstorm Sandy two years ago.
And listening to plans for new borough facilities that include a beachfront community center and municipal complex presented at a March 31 town hall meeting solidified their feelings.
“I’m just so happy,” said Barbara, adding that it is also great to see the businesses that have come back and reopened in the downtown area since Sandy.
The Reichs, along with about 50 members of the public, gave borough officials a round of applause as they presented the conceptual designs for the two buildings.
“The goal was how to consolidate the buildings to get the most potential [reimbursement] funds,” Kevin Settembrino of Red Bank-based Settembrino Architects said as he presented the plans to the public with architectural renderings of the two proposed buildings.
Borough officials have said they are optimistic that up to 90 percent of the cost would be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Acting Borough Administrator Joseph Verruni said that if improvements include bringing the buildings up to date with codes and standards — for example, accessible to individuals with special needs — then those new features would be included in the FEMA reimbursement. The same would apply to new firehouse doors that would accommodate larger fire apparatus.
Verruni said he believes the majority of the improvements and replacements would be reimbursed by FEMA.
A FEMA spokesman said 90 percent of funds would be reimbursed through the public assistance funding for the “functionality” of the buildings lost, and the buildings would not have to be rebuilt on the same footprint to be eligible for funding.
Verruni said at an earlier workshop on March 18 that the proposed 2,800-squarefoot beachfront community center has a price tag of a little more than $3 million, and the proposed 5,200-square-foot municipal complex is estimated at $6.7 million.
The borough’s share of the cost for the two buildings would be $2.6 million, which would be financed through a 20-year bond. Debt service on the bond would amount to $167,000 annually, or a tax increase of $8 to $10 for the owner of a property assessed at the borough average.
Some residents asked borough officials why plans for larger square footage were not being submitted to see if FEMA would accept them; if not, then Plan B would be to present the current plans.
Mayor Dina Long said borough officials have to be cognizant of costs.
“The borough has to initially put up the money, and then we will be reimbursed,” Long said. “We do not want to take on more debt than we can pay back.”
Some residents, including David Desio, a 15-year resident of the borough and a member of the borough planning and zoning board, said although he loves libraries and parks, he believes the new plans need to incorporate revenue-producing features.
“We cannot spend more than we can make,” he said, adding that the new plans should capitalize on the borough’s assets. “We need to produce [something] that will make money in the town.”
Desio suggested adding a third floor to the buildings for more efficient use of the site. He also noted that the current Borough Hall along the beachfront is prime real estate, which the borough could sell and then put the funds toward the two proposed buildings.
A resident asked Long if the borough has the capability to fund the buildings before the funds are reimbursed. “We’re working on that,” Long said. “If all goes well, we will receive three-quarters of the funds back.”
Some residents raised concerns, including Meg Fisher, who has lived in the borough since 2002, about building municipal facilities on the beach. She said the site of the former police and fire departments could be used for revenue-generating development.
Councilman Charles Rooney III said he has heard the concern raised time and time again.
“It does make sense,” Rooney said. However, he said the site of the proposed complex is the highest elevation in the borough.
Long added that there is a limit on how much the borough can borrow from the state, and the seawall would provide a buffer for the buildings in the event of a storm.
Verruni had previously said much thought went into the design of the buildings, which incorporates “resiliency to future storms and adaptability to future change.”
He said the discussion began with six borough buildings destroyed by the superstorm.
These functions have been consolidated in the plans into two buildings, which would be constructed on the sites of the former police and fire department buildings and the beach pavilion.
The proposed beachfront community center would serve multiple uses, including men’s and women’s changing facilities, bathroom stalls, and beach lockers on the first floor for those utilizing the beach; and a library, media center and community meeting rooms — which can hold up to 150 seats — on the second floor. Some residents suggested including additional bathroom facilities.
On the exterior, a covered deck is proposed for those wanting to enjoy the ocean views.
The proposed municipal complex would house all the public safety departments, including the police and fire departments, Office of Emergency Management and Emergency Medical Services.
The buildings are designed as open-concept structures, meaning that in the event of a storm, floodwaters could flow through the building, preventing any walls or doors from being compromised.
The mechanical and electrical systems of each building, including the generators, would be located on the highest level of the building, allowing emergency personnel to get the systems back up and running in a short period of time after a storm.
Each building would be built along Ocean Avenue, backed by the seawall that is slated to be reconstructed in the near future.
Settembrino said a landscape buffer between the site and nearby residences is included in the plans.
Verruni said the revised plans are expected to be submitted to FEMA for approval within the next 60 days.
He said construction plans could take a few months to finalize, as borough officials would meet with public safety officials and members of the community to discuss the specifics of the designs. Once they are complete, construction of the buildings could begin and would take 18 to 24 months to complete.