County Approves Phase II of Renovation/New Construction costing $137K

I recently had the opportunity to review a 57 page document called: Union County Real Estate Strategic Plan: Final Recommendations, dated March 24, 2017. The study was prepared by Colliers Corporate Solutions - Strategy and Innovation Consulting an international company with offices in Parsippany NJ, Boston, MA and many other locations. The document contained charts, graphs and narratives with an inventory of current county real estate holdings, office space rentals, record storage and parking locations serving the administrative offices of the county government and court house in Elizabeth. The study was approved in October of 2015 as a shared service agreement between the Freeholder Board and the UC Improvement Authority at a price tag of $70,000. But wait, like a late night infomercial there’s more. For an additional mere $137,000 Colliers will throw in strategic planning recommendations for necessary document storage, disposal of items no longer needed, planning renovations to the old jail building to make it into office space, etc. etc. etc. (nonsense too numerous to detail). Of course the all Democrat Board of Chosen Freeholders approved this addendum with additional costs to the 2015 agreement, now called Phase II just this past June.

As I read the thru the pages a noise kept ringing in my head, it sounded like the caching of a cash register as amounts such as $28 mil new construction costs plus interest , $25 mil with $1.2million in interest for courthouse complex , $15 mil renovation costs plus interest to consolidate two depts. and more relocation costs were estimated. The lack of parking in the area was not really addressed but rather the county was urged to get a local concern to evaluate and present solutions. And as a bonus buy there was more, it went on and on, it gave me shivers.

Just once it would be nice to read something that did not involve costing the taxpayers millions of dollars. Warnaico Park was recently given a total refit with a skating rink and track stadium, Oak Ridge is to be overhauled to accommodate Union College athletics and Rahway Park was given to the Rahway BOE for the High School football team. The board has been on a construction binge since the year 2000 building, renovating and creating new projects on “Open Space Slush Fund” purchases. Oh, and BTW should not Open Space remain that way and not covered with impervious surfaces like skate parks and parking lots.

As a candidate for UC Freeholder I ask for your vote to help me along with my running mates, Peter Lijoi and Mark Martini prevent unnecessary tax increases, extravagant spending and keep the freeholders from having another place to hang their portraits.

Sincerely,

Patricia Quattrocchi, Clark

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