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Residents press council for details on proposed Eatontown municipal building and $450,000 architecture allocation
Summary
Residents questioned council members about the size, cost and process for a proposed new municipal building. Public commenters David Gindi and Ali Mehdaoui pressed for details about outside experts who reviewed plans, costs including a $450,000 architecture/engineering line, and whether the borough will seek additional bonds. Councilmembers said no binding dollar amount can be set until size and design are finalized and that outside experts were not paid.
Multiple residents used the public-comment period to press council members for transparency about a proposed new municipal building. David Gindi said he attended a presentation titled "What's Really Behind the New Municipal Building Plan" and told the council he was left with more questions than answers, asking who the outside experts were, what documents they reviewed and whether they were paid. Councilmember Maria Grazia Escalante said she provided the experts with the same public documents available to the council and later told the meeting the experts had not been paid.
Resident Ali Mehdaoui asked the mayor to commit to a total project dollar amount that would include soft and hard costs; Mayor Talerico said he could not commit to a total amount until the building's size and design are agreed upon and that any borrowing would require council vote by at least four members. There was discussion about options including renovating the existing building versus building new, potential asbestos/remediation issues, and impacts on police operations during any transition. The mayor and council said next steps include the borough building committee meeting to refine size, design and budgets before sending plans to bid.
