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WANAQUE - Plans solidifying for new Borough Hall site
(by Teresa Edmond - Staff Writer - November 11, 2008)
WANAQUE - A Little Ferry-based architectural firm has presented what borough officials called "conceptual layout" of the new municipal hall complex that would consist of the Borough Hall, a maintenance building and the police station laid out in a campus setting.
At the Nov. 10 Borough Council meeting, Anthony Iovino of Arcari & Iovino presented a proposed site diagram. The diagram was created based on ideas brainstormed during several meetings with the council’s buildings and grounds committee the last three months. The site diagram was also based on the architectural firm’s needs-assessment study conducted through talks with the Police Department and municipal personnel.
"We’re able to come together collaboratively on a conclusion that works," Iovino said. "We’re at the very beginning of this stage. That piece of paper is what we have to work on, how to develop the property."
A new Borough Hall would address the numerous problems that plague the current one, a nearly 100-year-old structure that officials say can't be upgraded anymore. The lengthy roster of the Borough Hall’s faulty facilities includes limited accessibility for those with disabilities, antiquated heating, insufficient restrooms and cramped office space.
The proposed site diagram
The locale of Arcari & Iovino’s site diagram is the vacant Rhinesmith property on Ringwood Avenue. A land swap negotiation between borough officials and Rhinesmith property owners has been pending since last summer.
According to the proposed site diagram, the municipal complex would have three buildings. The Borough Hall would be a two-story colonial-style building lengthwise totaling 13,440 square feet. It would have frontal space for landscaping, flagpoles and a memorial, and a gazebo would sit to the Borough Hall’s right. The structure would have two entrances, one facing Ringwood Avenue, the other facing the parking lot.
The police station would be a one-story structure totaling 11,160 square feet. The parking lot would have 84 public spaces and 47 police parking spaces. There would be trees scattered throughout the lot to keep it from being "a sea of pavement," Iovino said.
The complex would have three two-way access roads. One would be for the public connecting to Ringwood Avenue. The other two would be reserved for police vehicles stretching out to Furnace Avenue, a side street that connects to Ringwood Avenue. The police would have their own thoroughfares so the department could respond to emergencies faster without civilian cars’ interference.
The complex’s third building would be the maintenance building, a 40-by-25-foot structure that would house up to five garages.
The overall complex would have extra space in case of property expansion to meet anticipated demographic needs.
"We need to plan these buildings not just for today … but you don’t know what the demographic change would be … (in) 20 to 50 years," Iovino said.
Residents and borough officials’ responses
Borough officials noted the budgetary consideration over the proposed site plan, and residents reminded officials to be careful with taxpayers’ money.
Councilman Edward O’Connell, buildings and grounds committee member, mentioned the handful of rounds the committee went through to come up with a conceptual design.
"The committee would agree that this configuration you came up would be best suited for everybody," he said.
Councilwoman Karen Cisco, also a committee member, said that the architectural firm put "a lot of thought" into the municipal complex’s design so the complex would have a more aesthetic landscape. She added that the borough has to also consider whether the suggested plan is financially feasible.
"As far as the paperwork goes, it really looks like a good plan, in my personal opinion," she said. "Paying for it, however, is a whole different ballgame."
According to Borough Administrator Tom Carroll, the proposed site diagram’s next stage is for Iovino to find out and "start solidifying some of" the construction and program costs.
"We’d do that over the next month or two so that come January, we’d know where we’re going," he said.
The proposed site plan of the borough complex was a surprise to the audience because the item wasn’t on the meeting’s agenda.
Resident David DaSilva told borough officials they’re "spending money (they) don’t have" and said that it’s "shameful" an important presentation like the conceptual Borough Hall redevelopment plan wasn’t on the agenda.
"It may be a pretty picture (but) I think it’s a really bad idea to continue all of this without looking at financial implications completely," he said.
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