SOUTH RIVER — After years of contentious discussion on building a new firehouse, borough officials still have some issues to resolve before moving forward.
The new firehouse would replace the current facility on George Street, which is in a state of disrepair. Its conditions compelled members of the fire department to advocate for a replacement building. The governing body agreed, but finding a location proved to be a formidable obstacle.
The borough recently purchased the former Knights of Columbus property on Jackson Street and an adjacent gas station site, with plans to use the two tracts for the future firehouse. The borough, which is now working on remediation issues at the site, has selected Mitchell Associates as the architect for the firehouse, but a budget and design have not been finalized.
At the April 28 business meeting, the first part of the firehouse discussion involved the Knights of Columbus boxing club, which is still in use and is open to the public, according to its website.
Borough Administrator Frederick Carr reminded the council that the governing body had not made a decision regarding the separate boxing club building. An initial design presented to the county showed the boxing club being turned into offices.
However, Borough Engineer Bruce Koch said the borough is not bound to that preliminary design.
The council informally agreed to demolish the property. But Carr cautioned the council against treating the boxing club and Knights building as separate projects.
“It’s easy to say we’re going to knock down the boxing club,” he said, recommending that the council decide on all uses at the site before taking action. In addition, the borough most likely will have to notify the boxing club operators at least 30 days in advance of its plans.
Councilman Peter Guindi said a meeting that was supposed to take place with council members and fire officials regarding the firehouse budget and requirements never occurred due to scheduling conflicts, and no new date has been set.