Move Could Cost $15M

Estimate fans flames in already controversial proposal

By Jonathan Weber
Eatontown — The first estimates of the cost of moving the currently overcrowded Borough Hall on Broad Street to Mallette Hall in the now closed Fort Monmouth once again brought Republicans and Democrats to argue over the feasibility of the move.

Kevin Setembrino, an architect with Buck Simpers Architects and Associates, testifies on the cost of renovating Mallette Hall at the now closed Fort Monmouth for use as a new Borough Hall for Eatontown.

Kevin Setembrino, an architect with Buck Simpers Architects and Associates, gave the bad news: the cost of renovating the 60,000 square foot building would run from $11.5 million at a minimum to as much as $15 million on the top end.
At the top of the list, it would take about $4.6 million to renovate the interior of the building. The current HVAC system (heating and cooling) is at the end of its life. There is a geo-thermal field under the parking lot that could be tied into the heating/ cooling system — it’s there, but not connected. Add $1.7 million for the new HVAC and geo-thermal power. The electrical system itself is antiquated, having been installed in 1953 when the CECOM structure went up. Adding solar panels to the roof is another million dollars. Repaving the parking lot is estimated at $800,000, and $100,000 is needed for modifications to the exterior façade.

Mayor Gerald Tarantolo of Eatontown wants to acquire Mallette Hall (shown in the center of the picture) in the now closed Fort Monmouth as a new Borough Hall to replace the currently overcrowded building on Broad Street.

The building itself is structurally sound. The outside windows are blastproof but the windows into the interior courtyard are in bad shape. The building lacks a sprinkler system, which would cost $250,000 to add. All together, the improvements add up to $11.5 million. The architect added another 25 percent to the mix for unforeseen contingencies. Add in some moving costs, and the estimate approaches $15 million.
Republican Councilmen Dennis Connelly and Kevin Gonzalez were ready to pronounce the proposal to move to Mallette Hall dead. Mayor Tarantolo, the biggest proponent of the move, was not yet ready to call it quits. He wanted to look at possibly stripping down some of the plan to make it more affordable.
Council President Anthony Talerico, a Democrat, didn’t know where the borough would get $15 million, but thought the architect’s plan deserved at least a thorough review before any decision is made.
Earlier studies have shown that the town needs about 47,000 square feet of space, almost twice the current 25,600 square feet it currently occupies on Broad Street. An alternate plan would build an addition onto the current municipal hall for around $5.6 million, but would still leave the town 5,000 square feet short of the recommended space.
The mayor feels Eatontown could lease the excess space in the renovated military facility and thus offset some of the costs of moving to Fort Monmouth.
In the past Councilman Kevin Gonzalez has taken issue with the needs of the Eatontown government and argued that no extra space was needed.
Other plans forwarded in the past have included closing the Borough Library and using the space for either the police or the municipality, or leasing space in other buildings in the town.
The study on Mallette Hall costs $17,000.