Architect recommends moving borough depts.
Proposes five-phase, multimillion-dollar reconfiguration
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer
Residents packed South River's borough chambers last week to discuss their concerns with an architect's recommendations to reconfigure municipal facilities.

The Borough Council hired Anthony Iovino, of Arcari & Iovino Architects P.C., of Little Ferry, earlier this year to look at ways the borough can operate more efficiently. Specifically, Iovino was charged with looking at facility needs and finding ways to better configure the buildings and departments.

He presented his recommendations, which involve more than $17 million worth of buying land, building, demolishing and relocating, at a special meeting on Sept. 10.

Borough officials stressed that no plans are in the works yet.

"All this is, is a discussion," said Mayor Raymond Eppinger. "This is what I envisioned, taking public comment and then moving forward in the right way."

The mayor said the study would work in conjunction with the borough's master plan, which is up for review next year.

Over the last few months, principals from the architectural firm visited each borough owned building and site to become familiar with the conditions and surroundings. Places visited include the former Lincoln School and current Office of Emergency Management (OEM) trailer site at Prospect and William streets; the rescue squad building site at Thomas and George streets; the fire/police site at Main and George streets; the administration building on Washington Street; the 55 Reid St. building, which is home to the Office on Aging, recreation and human services departments; and the public library and firehouse on Appleby Avenue.

Iovino said the recommendations are broken up into five phases.

"The most expedited schedule if these phases were implemented in a row would be four and a half years," he said. "But in reality it could take 10 years."

Iovino said no phases would be implemented without input from the police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), OEM, the library board of trustees, the administration, and the senior/recreation and human services departments.

Phase one includes securing the rights or the outright purchase of a property of approximately 20,000 square feet located in the proximity of the rescue squad and fire/police sites to house the public library. The purchase price for a new library is estimated at $1.7 million.

Phase two includes relocating and demolishing the existing three-story Lincoln School and then constructing a new emergency services building. A proposed twostory, 20,832-square-foot building, to be located at the southwest section of the Lincoln School site away from the flood plain, would house the Fire Department, EMS and OEM. The estimated cost for phase two is $6.4 million.

Iovino said creating an emergency services building enables the allocation of resources to be more efficient and economical.

"Combining resources also increases efficiency in terms of information gathering and its assimilation," Iovino said in his report. "Close proximity between departments allows for faster communication. To be able to relay messages face-to-face is invaluable, and inter-departmental collaboration will foster a sense of 'brotherhood' among the departments."

Residents were concerned about the tidal flooding that affects roughly 75 percent of the former Lincoln School site.

"Have you looked at what land is available… perhaps go on higher ground?" resident Tom Roselli said.

Iovino said they have looked at other sites for the emergency services building, and the Lincoln School site was what was available. The recommended building would be constructed away from the flood plain.

"When emergency personnel would park, they would have to position their vehicles away from the flooded area," Iovino said. "The issue we looked at was a centralized location and response times."

Phase three includes demolishing the existing fire department building at the fire/police site and the rescue squad building. The fire department, OEM, and rescue squad would then move into the new facility at the Lincoln School site when construction is completed.

Iovino said the existing fire department building and fire/police site could then be used for much-needed additional parking in the downtown area.

The estimated cost for phase three is $340,000.

Phase four includes constructing a new two-story library building and related parking in the central business district located on Main Street. The building would also house the borough administration offices.

"The construction of the new library in the downtown area will signal growth and revitalization to the businesses along Main Street," Iovino said in his report. "There is an opportunity to jumpstart the downtown core and bring more business into the area."

Leslie Roselli, a member of the library board of trustees, said the timeline for constructing a new library was discouraging.

"The public library was built too small to begin with 30 years ago [in 1979], and we spent four to five years on a plan to [expand the library] that was ready to go out to bid earlier this year," she said. "Phases four and five seem to hinge upon this magic piece of property that the borough [has to acquire for the new public library]."

The existing library building on Appleby Avenue is approximately 9,000 square feet in size. An earlier, independent study on the library concluded that a facility of 19,000 square feet is needed to properly serve the demographics and population size of the borough, which has approximately 15,000 residents.

Iovino's firm had previously designed the South River Public Library expansion project, which was scrapped earlier this year because its price tag of $6.7 million was deemed to be too high.

"The thought process was, since we have multiple issues and before spending $6.7 million on the library, at least exhaust every other avenue before making a decision," said Eppinger, who acknowledged that the borough could in the end expand the library on Appleby Avenue.

The total estimated cost for constructing the new downtown public library is $7.5 million, which includes the estimated $1.7 million property purchase from phase one, and $5.8 million in construction costs. Tacking on the cost of the administration building brings the construction price to $8.7 million.

Business owners along Main Street asked Iovino how moving the library downtown would bring business to their stores.

"It would bring spontaneous shoppers," Iovino said. "People who happen to be at the library may remember that they need something and there is that chance that they would go into a business."

Roselli said she was concerned about having the public library and municipal court in the same location. Iovino agreed and said that item would be changed in the study.

Phase five includes moving the Office on Aging, recreation and human services building at 55 Reid St. to the current public library site on Appleby Avenue.

"The property has adequate parking in place for senior activities, and the site has a park-like setting that would benefit the users," Iovino said in his report.

The estimated cost of phase five is $135,000.

Iovino said in his report that per the logic of grouping municipal services, it is beneficial to include other heavily used public services such as a library or senior center within an ideal borough complex.

"These help to create a 'one-stop shopping' type of center, whereas multiple functions can be achieved within one trip by a resident," he said.

Iovino stressed that the phases did not have to be completed in order.

Resident Bill England told the council he wanted an "attractive and inviting" downtown, and suggested the new buildings become certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) sites. LEED certification is the national benchmark for environmentally friendly buildings.

Borough officials said the emergency services building is a top priority, and that they would look at the recommendations made by the architect and the suggestions made by the public.

Eppinger asked Councilmen Anthony Razzano, who is liaison to the Public Safety Committee and Facilities Management Committee, and John Trzeciak, who is liaison to the Public Safety Committee, to get feedback from their committees.

"We all have a vested interest in the township and we will look at all the options," Eppinger said.