South River will open new municipal facility
GOP say timing of grand opening event is politically motivated
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

South River is ready to unveil its new Human Services Building, which has been years in the making and at times a controversial topic.

Residents are invited to a grand opening and tour of the facility at 55 Reid St., which will be the new home for the borough's food bank, Office on Aging, Office of Emergency Management, TV35 and Recreation Department. The event will be held Oct. 29 at 3:30 p.m.

The construction, first planned for another site, has been a contentious issue among Democrats and Republicans on the governing body. Most recently, Democrats voted in favor of two change orders for the project, while the two Republicans voted against both measures.

Republican Councilman Raymond Eppinger said the original contract was for $1,736,600, but that has risen to $1,907,747.

Democratic Mayor Robert Szegeti noted the significance of the building as part of the borough's effort to update municipal offices.

"It is a permanent home for the Office on Aging and the recreation office," Szegeti said. "They have been moved here, there and everywhere for the last several decades. This offers a place for them to call home. I hope all the residents of the borough will use the facilities and enjoy them."

The Recreation Department and the Office on Aging are expected to move into the building first, the mayor said. He added that more specialized work is needed before TV35 can move from its current location at the Lincoln School.

Eppinger described the grand opening of the Human Services Building as a politically motivated action by the Democrats one week prior to the election. He said the building has no elevator and is not ready to open for business.

"I am disappointed," Eppinger said. "It plays the people of South River and the media for fools. It is free publicity one week before the election. You do not have a grand opening for a building when it is not ready to be opened. It won't be handicap-accessible."

Eppinger said the elevators may not be installed until December, adding that he was told that process will take four weeks.

"We should have a grand opening when it is ready to be opened," he said. "The Office of Emergency Management is not ready to move in, so how in God's name are we having a grand opening? It is pure, unadulterated politics. It's about getting free pictures in the paper. I am not saying that we should not have a grand opening, but not the week before an election, especially when it is not ready."

Democrats Richard Reichenbach and Anthony Razzano, both incumbents, are running against Republicans Michael Trenga and John T. Trzeciak for two Borough Council seats on Nov. 7.

Council President David Sliker said the project is virtually complete.

"They are just cleaning up and the only other thing they are installing is the elevator," Sliker said. "They are scheduled to have everything for the 29th."

The borough is also upgrading the computer-aided dispatch system for the police, which he expects to be installed in two to three months. This will allow time to deliver the new equipment so the old equipment does not have to be moved to the new Office of Emergency Management on Reid Street.

"We are still working on punch-list items and incidentals," Sliker said, adding that the opening "is not politically motivated."

Sliker said the assertion that the building is incomplete is false and that furniture is currently being moved into the building.

"He is absolutely incorrect," Sliker said. "It was supposed to be completed in September. It is actually fully, 100 percent completed with the stipulation of the elevator."

Eppinger and Republican Councilman John Krenzel have been vocal in their opposition to the location of the building.

"It's too late to stop it now," Eppinger said, "but the thing we need to remember is that the building is super-deficient of parking. It is on one of the busiest roads in town, which is a hazardous waste transportation route in a flood zone."

Republicans have said the building would need a minimum of 78 parking spaces. Szegeti said the parking lot is not striped yet, but the lot will likely accommodate 18 vehicles.

Szegeti has said that, with many seniors taking a bus to the building, parking will be adequate for now. He noted that the former location had a similar number of parking spaces.

Eppinger said a private entity would have been required to provide more parking spots.

"If you or I bought that building and made the conversion," Eppinger said, "you and I would need 60 more spots."

The main contractor for the Reid Street building, Tri-Form Construction, is still doing minor work on the site, Szegeti said, but the job is near completion.

"The walls are up," Szegeti said. "They are just [working to] finish varnishing the floors. It was delayed a little, but they tried to make up time where they could."

Szegeti said the contractor was delayed while waiting for approvals and building materials.

Sliker said the project is still within its original budget, adding that the borough is allowed a certain percentage above the base.

"Anyone who would like to come and see the building on the 29th at 3:30 can see for themselves how beautiful the building is and how much of an asset it is, not only to the recreation department, but to the community at large. Our seniors and children finally have a place to call home and a facility to meet the majority of their needs."

The building was originally planned to be built on the site of a former boarding house purchased by the borough, on Obert Street. The council later determined the site to be inadequate for its intended purposes, and sold it to a private owner roughly two years ago.

Eppinger said that while he does not agree with the location for the building, he agrees the municipality does need to upgrade its facilities.

Szegeti said he hopes to see a good turnout for the grand opening next week.

"I hope that we get as many as can come," he said. "It is the third part of our promise. It has taken some years and we are proud of the work being done, so we hope that everyone, seniors and residents, can come, because it will benefit all of the residents of the borough."

The project to improve municipal offices began several years ago, when improvements were made to the police headquarters and municipal court building on Main Street.

"This is the last leg of all of the municipal offices to be updated and also made handicap-accessible to bring us into the 21st century," Szegeti said.