Longport Borough Hall
LONGPORT - The Board of Commissioners is seeking a small group of volunteers to help decide the future of Longport Borough Hall, according to a release Friday afternoon.
During this past summer, mold was discovered in Commission Chambers and in the Centennial Room on the second floor. Remediation work in the two rooms includes the removal of asbestos.
The governing body is now considering if the former Betty Bacharach Home for Afflicted Children, constructed in the 1920s, should be demolished and replaced with a new building. Longport Borough Hall offices moved into the building in 1990 and have been operating there for the past 30 years. Another option would be to continue with repairs and preserve the almost 100-year-old building for future generations.
The governing body is seeking volunteers have who interest or expertise in different fields, such as construction, planning, historic preservation, architecture and other related fields, to help determine the future of Borough Hall.
Longport residents have a crucial voice in determining the future of what Longport looks like. Whether that includes the construction of a new Borough Hall or if it means preserving the nearly 100-year old building for future generations, Mayor Nicholas Russo said in the release. Numerous factors need to be taken into consideration when deciding the fate of this building and our local residents must be a part of the decision process.
Alternate Borough Solicitor Pacifico Pat Agnellini agreed.
The building should be salvageable. It certainly would be cheaper to fix it than to tear it down and rebuild it. The question I have is, what building do you build? What does Longport government look like in 10 years given everything that the state is trying to do with respect to consolidating municipalities and services in municipalities? If you build a building that covers everything it covers now only to find out five years from now, you're not covering all services. That is the challenge, He said.
Anyone interested in serving on the committee may contact the Municipal Clerk's Office by calling 609-823-2731, ext. 100 or via email to [email protected].
