Beach Haven council authorizes bid advertisement for Coast Guard station EOC renovation

The Beach Haven Borough Council voted to advertise for bids to renovate the former Coast Guard station at 420 Pelum Avenue into a municipal Emergency Operations Center, approving a resolution after a presentation by the project architects and borough engineer.

Architect Zach McKenzie said the project scope focuses on renovating the west wing of the building and adding a west-end addition to provide a secondary means of egress, elevator access and multi-user toilet rooms while keeping the east wing largely unchanged. The plans call for a masonry addition supported by timber piles driven about 55 feet into the ground, upgraded windows, a rainscreen exterior system, and dormitory space that the architects said will accommodate roughly three to four occupants per room.

McKenzie told the council the building will receive full mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire-protection upgrades including a dedicated electrical service, rooftop RTUs, a dedicated outside air system (DOAS) and sprinklering for the dormitory portion. He said the design includes a diesel generator with a "96-hour day tank" to support the operations center and that the generator and its connections will be raised above the area's design flood elevation.

Responding to council and resident questions, McKenzie said the design team switched from a planned dual-fuel generator to a single-fuel diesel unit for budgetary reasons; he estimated the dual-fuel option would have added "in the ballpark range between $30 and $50,000." He also estimated lead time for major equipment like the generator at roughly 22–23 weeks. On schedule, designers estimated construction at about nine months if the project is bid promptly.

On cost, McKenzie said the team currently estimates the project "to be in the $5 million ballpark," and cautioned that bid volatility and material-price shifts could push that number up or down.

After discussion about neighbor concerns — notably the visibility of rooftop ductwork and generator noise — the council took a roll-call vote and approved the motion to advertise the project for bids. Miss Anderson, Mrs. Ball Miller, Mr. McAffrey, Mrs. Snder and Mayor Lambert each voted "yes." The council indicated they will provide final MEP and structural coordination to the architects before formal advertisement and that some aesthetic questions can be refined during the final design stage.

Next steps: the borough will proceed with advertisement for bids on the renovation; architects will upload drawings for council and public review and continue coordinating mechanical and structural details prior to the formal bidding period.