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April 13, 2010

Randolph plans to remodel its senior center, library

nj.com
By Dan Goldberg/For The Star-Ledger
April 11, 2010, 6:47AM

RANDOLPH -- The township is giving two of its most visited buildings a makeover.

The township council Tuesday night approved a $3.4 million bond to remodel its senior center on Calais Road and the library next door.

“It’s high time,” said Anita Freeman, library director. “We’re excited. It is definitely a step in the right direction.”

The Library Board agreed to spend $300,000 of its own money to help pay for renovations, which include a new roof, new windows and remodeling the front entrance.

The senior center is in even greater disrepair, said township manager John Lovell.

“Everything in that building is past its useful life,” Lovell said.

The senior center is overcrowded and its entrance is difficult to navigate, said Mayor Jay Alpert. Its electrical panel will be updated, its façade modernized and 5,000 square feet of office space will be added.

The township takes on the project at a time when many municipalities are cutting back on capital improvements because of the sluggish economy but Alpert said it was imperative that the work be done.

“The buildings are in such disrepair,” Alpert said. “You can only maintain things so long before they just go. These are repairs that have to be made to save the buildings. In the long run this is going to be cheaper than replacing the buildings.”

Lovell added that it is a buyer’s market for construction and noted the township recently learned that Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised Randolph’s credit rating from AA+ to AAA, meaning the township can borrow at a lower cost.

“This is a good time to move forward,” Lovell said.

The township plans to spend $1.7 million to remodel the senior center and $800,000 on the library, which Freeman said has about 500 visitors every day.

The township will also spend $850,000 to fix the parking lot, which sits atop the ruins of the Ackerman Hotel, closed in 1974. The library stands where the hotel’s restaurant once was, while the senior center occupies what was the hotel’s casino. The hotel was torn down and paved over. As the buried wood rotted beneath the asphalt, the parking lot repeatedly gave way.

“The parking lot has been sinking since the day we moved in,” Freeman said.

The construction plan calls for the remains of the hotel to be excavated and the parking lot to be redone.

The township plans to put the project out to bid by the end of this month.

“As someone who visits the library on a regular basis and who attends programs at the senior center, I think these upgrades are badly needed,” councilman Gary Algeier said. “Our seniors deserve better.”

Posted by tumulty at April 13, 2010 6:47 AM

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