The township unveiled some preliminary plans and drawings for the proposed new public safety complex, which would include new centrally-located facilities for police, fire and public works.
But several members of the public, including some board members, still have questions about the project, particularly with regards to funding.
Dave Asker, from Plante & Moran’s CRESA group, which was recently hired by the township to serve as the project manager, led a presentation that kicked off a public hearing during last week’s board meeting.
‘When you look at your fire department, in 1990, you had one full-time employee and now you have six. You had 50 paid on-calls, you now have 65,? Asker said. ‘Your sheriff’s department, you’ve grown from 21 deputies to now 30. Your DPW department, in 1990, had a staff of 8 and now, in 2007, you’re up to a staff of 13.?
‘While we’ve increased staffing within these departments in order to respond to the needs of the community, one of the things that we still need to be aware of is what kind of space do we need to have to house these functions??
Asker said about five or six acres of the proposed 11-acre site south of Orion Oaks Elementary School would be needed for construction of the three buildings, with the sheriff’s and fire departments to be located closest to Joslyn Road.
‘The site is adequate for the size of these three buildings,? Asker said.
He noted that with both the need and the potential site identified, the other lingering question is how to pay for the facilities?
‘It is rare that I come across clients who have done a job like you have to set aside funds to plan for these types of facilities,? Asker said. ‘You have been able to allocate dollars where there is not a need for any new taxes or any sort of tax increase to pay for this project.?
‘You have the ability to pay for this project from funds you currently have,? he added, citing capital improvement funds within the individual departments.
But not everyone was convinced.
‘They said we have money and funds for it, but we don’t have money and funds for it,? Trustee Matt Gibb said. ‘Right now there’s $1 million in the fire capital improvement fund and no money budgeted next year for any of this. I guess we should just turn a blind eye. Like the public, I have questions about this.?
Gibb said he was against this type of public hearing from the outset, saying it was more of a ‘public telling.?
That didn’t stop members of the public from asking their questions.
‘It sounds like there is tricky language in that no tax increase, because we will end up paying more taxes for the upkeep and maintenance,? said resident Jim Delevan, who first proposed the idea of a public hearing.
‘Why can’t we put this issue on the ballot and let the public decide by way of voting if they want this facility?? he asked. ‘If we have this money to build this facility, then I’m pretty sure we have the money for a special election. If the majority votes for it, fine, and if they vote against it, that’s the way it goes.?
Resident David Hodges questioned whether the township’s Building Department could take an active role in the project, perhaps even in lieu of the project management team from CRESA.
‘If they don’t have a lot of work going on, (that department) could manage the construction of this project,? he said.
Hodges said his overall concern was of the high costs associated with the project.
‘It seems to me that the dollar amount being projected for the total square footage amount is extreme,? he said.
‘Being in the construction business myself, I think the township can do better than that and save the people of the community a lot of money.?
‘I’m not disagreeing with the need for the buildings, I think we do need the buildings,? Hodges added. ‘But at what cost??
No date was given for a report back with answers, but the board promised to follow through.
‘We had no idea what kinds of questions were going to be asked tonight,? Clerk Jill Bastian said. ‘I’m hoping people will understand that there will now be an answer sheet that we can get prepared, that will be done factually and will be available to everyone.?
Asker said the scope of the project is anywhere from 24 to 30 months, noting that if the project has the go-ahead, the construction process could begin as early as next summer.