Longport Commissioner Leeds suggested that the governing body and municipal staff should start thinking about the future of 2305 Atlantic Ave. Should Longport Borough Hall be demolished and built new or repaired? Residents are concerned with the amount of money being spent on repairs at Borough Hall.
Engineer Carter noted that in 2010 he provided the Governing Body with a report regarding Borough Hall and that at that time, he noted that it was decided not to tear it down due to building’s historic nature.
Nearly $2.8 million has been spent in repairs to the building.
Administrator Porter noted that with the mold issue, it might be time to start thinking about what direction the governing body wants to go with the building as he noted that there are other items to take into consideration. It was noted that different departments have different needs and those needs to be taken into consideration regarding the future of operations at Borough Hall.
There was discussion about forming a planning committee regarding the future of Borough Hall to decide whether or not to re-build and if so, what services would a new municipal hall need to provide.
There was further discussion on the type of services and the future of these services. Commissioner Leeds recommended reaching out to other municipalities who have rebuilt their complexes to see what their experience has been. He also suggested hiring a professional to assist in the process.
Engineer Carter also noted that Borough Hall is currently at or below base flood level elevation and that needs to be taken into consideration.
Administrator Porter asked if anyone had information on the borough website web cams. Solicitor Agnellini noted that originally the cameras were provided by a resident at no cost at the borough. He said that resident had recently moved and that the resident suggested the borough install its own cameras for the website if it was interested in doing so. There was further discussion on web cams.
NOV 22, 2019 ROLL CALL:
- Nicholas Russo: absent
- James P. Leeds: present
- Daniel Lawler: present