T.F. Borough Hall close to completion
Move-in date projected for early April
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Exterior work on the Tinton Falls municipal building is almost complete with plenty of parking in front of the building.

TINTON FALLS - The day is close at hand when the long anticipated Borough Hall will be completed and open for business.

In fact, the large, attractive structure, which can be seen from Tinton Avenue, should be finished by March 26.

According to Bryan Dempsey, business administrator for the borough, it is expected that departments will begin to move into the building at the beginning of April.

"The move will be coordinated shortly after the building is completed," he said.

Meanwhile, last month the Borough Council approved $32,255 for electrical wiring changes in the new municipal building. The overrun will come out of the contingency fund included in the $9.5 million contract.

But while additional monies had to be spent for wiring, the borough was able to save money on the cost of heating the building.

"We changed the insulation from batting to spray foam and saved money because, with the foam insulation, we don't have to worry about the sprinkler lines freezing in the attic. The temperature is not going to drop below freezing with the spray insulation, so the heaters have been eliminated," he said, adding that heaters would have been another change order and the cost would have been substantially more.

Dempsey said that there would be a few more change orders before the project is complete. He explained that it is impossible to do a project like this without having to make some changes as it moves along.

But, he said all of the major work is done.

"Right now," he said, "they are putting the finishing touches in the courtroom and the dais has to be built."

Last spring, the amount of the contract with contractor G. Parlamas went from approximately $8.9 million to $9.5 million. An additional $1.5 million in funding became necessary after unanticipated problems arose during construction of the 37,000-square-foot building.