Municipal Complex Review Expanded to Include More Buildings

The Warren Township Committee was ready to review an architect's preliminary cost estimate for a meeting room and police facility expansion project under consideration, but will take a more comprehensive review of the municipal complex before proceeding.

Deputy Mayor Gary DiNardo suggested looking at the needs of the "municipal complex as a whole" before proceeding with the expansion of the building housing the police and municipal court.

"We're fixing one problem, maybe by looking at the whole municipal complex, we may be able to incorporate other things," DiNardo said. "I think we could benefit the whole community."

The other committee members agreed it made sense to at least review space and improvement needed to the aging municipal buildings, with Committeewoman Carolann Garafola pointing out many residents have difficulty climbing the stairs to the third floor offices.

"It's not that we're looking to spend more money," DiNardo said. "We want to have that three-year look down the road, we want to make sure we do the right thing."

Concerned that the "look down the road" could delay movement on the police expansion, Chief Russell Leffert asked the committee to reaffirm its commitment to the project—which includes replacing two old trailers which are deteriorating.

"I would hope that looking at that doesn't stop us from doing this because we all know those ideas are well into the future, where you've all agreed with me that this project benefits the police and the municipal complex to get us over that hump of not having enough meeting space and not having enough storage space," he said.

Committee members said they veiwed the police and meeting room addition as the first phase of what could become a multi-phase project.

The committee assigned DiNardo and Committeeman George Lazo to an ad hoc committee to work on getting a larger review of the municipal office needs done.

Horseshoe Drive resident Joe Lakatos noted the Township Committee had committed to two land purchases earlier in the meeting, and has approved building a new facility at Wagner Farm.  

"I hear now, 'let's build a whole new municipal complex,'" he said. "The people are paying for all this—maybe next year we should no longer do the roads.

"I guess people have deep pockets here; I don't," he added.