As Move Nears Discussions Continue for Older Buildings

Township Manager Helene Schlegel said that by the end of next month she hopes to be in her new office  at the former Global Building along with the finance department. 

As more pieces fit into place at the new municipal complex the question of what to do with their old homes will become even more prevalent. At Tuesday night's Council meeting the attention was turned to the Human Services and Revenue buildings on Route 524. 

Schlegel said during the meeting that with the township planning to "vacate" the building that had at one time served as Town Hall, there will need to be decisions made about not only where to move the current occupants to but also what to do with the building when it is empty. 

She said it was possible that groups like the Howell Food Pantry and the Veterans of Foreign Wars could be moved to the old Southard School which is currently serving as the base for the Howell PAL. 

Mayor Robert Walsh brought up the possibility of using the property to help special needs residents of not only Howell but the state as well. There was then a discussion of using the property for affordable housing for those who so need it. 

Township Attorney McKenna Kingdon said townships are being asked to dedicate $250 thousand from a special needs housing trust fund whether that meant buying a new home or "rehabbing," an existing home. She said neighboring townships like Brick and Jackson have taken part in the program already with Colts Neck also getting involved. 

Kingdon said several groups have already inquired about the township's interest in participating in the program that could help people associated with those entities. "I said I can't commit either way to what project the municipality is going to move toward, but I don't think we would have any objection to committing the $250 thousand that the state is looking for in terms of they could say this municipality is offering their $250 thousand."

Mayor Walsh said he would be in favor of seeing the township participate in this program based not only on his personal experiences but also from interactions he has had with area residents. "I know there's such a dire need out there," he said. "When you listen to a single mother tell her that her 19-year-old is on a five year waiting list and hurt some of the other siblings, that's a tough phone call."

When it comes to that waiting list Kingdon said there is a plan in place to have 100 people put in new homes and taken off the list by July and 300 by July of next year. 

Councilman Robert Nicastro said the Human Services location may be a difficult spot to use for this project because it is what he called a "undersized lot." At less than half an acre Nicastro was unsure whether there could be allowances made that would allow an affordable housing building to be put on that location.

Deputy Mayor William Gotto also had another question. "I'm all for the direction that this could go," he said. However, Gotto added that when conversations about buying the Global Building came up there were other issues raised when it came to the older buildings. "I said that I was going to do everything I could to get as much revenue as possible off of those buildings."

Calling the special needs housing "more admirable and noble," Gotto said it may not be the only solution. "I still think that we need to know what the value of that property is developable or not developable and then be able to make that decision that this is where we're going with it." 

As an example, if the property could be sold for half of a million dollars, Gotto said it is something worth considering. "I do want to know what that difference is to say that I'm onboard with it because then I'm going against what I promised the public I would do and if that makes sense to do because I think it's a great idea I just want to know what that number is."

Gotto said the decision for him was "about dollars and cents," so finding out what the property could be worth was an important piece of information. He also inquired about the neighboring revenue building. "We know that building is going to be in the same condition in a couple of months," he said.

No final decisions were made on Tuesday but Schlegel said it is something to consider for the future. "These are just some things that you need to be thinking about," she said. 

Schlegel said after the meeting the history of the building will be one factor considered when looking at its future but she did not believe there was any historical preservation for the site.