OCEANPORT — As the borough moves into the homestretch in deciding the future of Borough Hall, residents were given an opportunity to weigh in.
During an April 21 Town Hall meeting, approximately 100 members of the public heard a presentation on the four current options for a new municipal complex and were asked to rank each.
Prior to a question-and-answer session, the brief presentation reviewed the four options being considered: the Village Center complex on East Main Street; Maria Gatta Park on Port au Peck Avenue; a building at Fort Monmouth; or rebuilding on the current site on Monmouth Boulevard.
The Village Center complex came out as the unofficial winner of the informal survey, with more than half the 92 residents surveyed making it their first choice. Maria Gatta Park was the second most popular choice. Ranking third was Russell Hall on Fort Monmouth; fourth was rebuilding on the site of the storm-damaged Borough Hall.
The survey results will be available on the borough website, www.oceanportboro.com.
Lead architect Andrew Trocchia said among the factors being weighed is the ancillary uses each site provides.
“Each of the sites provides a unique opportunity for long-range plans and goals,” Trocchia said. “All fiscal and municipal concerns will be considered, but the overriding factor for determining which site to go with is the potential of each of these sites to the future of Oceanport.
“Each of them can contribute something a little different.”
The entire project is projected to cost approximately $10 million, with $3.6 million expected to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Trocchia said the cost of acquiring either of the three sites is similar.
Factoring in the sale of the current Borough Hall property, the overall cost to the borough would be virtually the same for each option, Mayor Michael Mahon said.
“Really it is a factor that sort of evens out,” he said.
Borough professionals and members of the Site Selection Committee have determined that approximately 22,000 square feet of space is needed to accommodate all municipal departments, excluding the Department of Public Works.
If the Police Department is not included, the space required would be 14,000 square feet.
Residents asked about traffic, the acquisition process, flood risks, cost and other specific factors for each site.
Some of the criticisms included cutting into recreational space if the Gatta Park location is chosen; as well as the challenges in locating Borough Hall at the Village Center site, which has a retail component.
“We’re taking valuable recreational land and putting up a building,” one resident said. “Shame on you, because you can’t get recreational land — towns fight for recreational land.”