Council Awards Contract For City Hall Improvements

The city has chosen which company will handle the improvements that will be to Long Branch City Hall.

During Tuesday night's Long Branch Council meeting, a contract was awarded to McCauley Construction Company Inc., of Hazlet, for $489,000.

The city's architect chose McCauley from a group of 8 bidders for the project.

The purpose of the improvements is to make city hall more handicap accessible and to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Project Architect Tom Besold explained that the existing ramp on the east side of the building is too steep, and doesn't comply to ADA standards. It will be fixed so that the slope is more gradual and easier for handicapped people to use it.

He said the main platform on the west side of the building would be "totally reconstructed" and that a wheelchair lift would be added as well. There is currently no handicap access on the west side of city hall.

Besold also broken curbing will be fixed, damaged sidewalks will be replaced and certain areas of the parking lot will be patched as part of the improvements. Additional lighting and realignment of some parking spaces will also be included in the project, he said.

He said the project could be completed by July, 2012.

A $943,000 bond ordinance passed by the council in June will be used to pay for the repairs.

Other projects that will be paid for through the use of the bond ordinance also include paving Bath Avenue and a portion of Beachfront North, a project that has already begun.

The other project is a recording system for the municipal court and new technology for Long Branch Department of Public Works (DPW) employees. It will allow DPW employees to keep a record of maps, projects, photos and data for any project on one device.

A contract to purchase the devices was also awarded during Tuesday night's council meeting. The contract was awarded to PinPoint Geo Tech, LLC for $30,7000, per the recommendation of DPW Director Fred Migliaccio.