Stafford Council May Discuss Mill Creek Community Center

The Stafford Township Council could discuss an ordinance Tuesday to bond up to $1.75 million to rebuild the Mill Creek Community Center destroyed in Superstorm Sandy last year.

The council, which meets at 7 p.m. at the municipal Complex at 260 East Bay Ave., introduced and approved the ordinance on first reading last month.

The amount to be bonded will only be for the true construction and associated costs not covered by FEMA and the township’s insurers, Township Administrator James Moran has said.

When asked by Councilman Robert Kusznikow why the number was so high, Moran, speaking during the October meeting, said it was based on an estimated construction cost of $250 per square foot for a 6,000 sq. ft. building. There were also additional expenses such as architectural and design fees and the site work, including landscaping.

Councilman Stephen Fessler, who said he works in the construction business, felt the $250 number was a high and $200 per square foot might be possible.

Mayor John Spodofora said that since the project has not even entered the design or bidding stages there was “no way” to accurately estimate the final cost. 

He also stated the actual amount that eventually will be bonded will be for the actual cost and after they settle with FEMA and the insurers.

Spodofora said the insurance companies and FEMA keep “dueling” with the township and each other over who is going to cover what and how much each will pay out.

The community center on Mill Creek Road was declared a total loss after Sandy when it was flooded, the floors buckled and the foundation shifted.

The former Town Hall on Bay Avenue, which now houses the township’s Recreation Department offices, is being utilized as a temporary site for some of the programs and meetings that were formerly hosted by the Mill Creek Center.