Borough eyes purchase of Donovan's Reef
BY LIZ SHEEHAN
Correspondent

Donovan's Reef

SEA BRIGHT - The borough is moving forward with plans to purchase the landmark Donovan's Reef on Ocean Avenue.

With one dissenting vote, the Borough Council at its meeting last week approved the expenditure of $2,500 to obtain an appraisal of the oceanfront bar just south of Borough Hall.

Councilman William Keeler asked the council to approve the funds so the purchase of the property by the borough could be considered if the town decides to restore the Borough Hall instead of building a new one in another location, a plan which is under consideration.

Keeler said that if Donovan's was bought by a developer "this building [the present Borough Hall] may not be viable as Borough Hall."

Christopher Bowler, Oceanport, said he and his siblings own Donovan's.

He said Tuesday he did not want to make any comment yet about the borough's action

There are 82 spaces in the Donovan's lot , and some are now used by people coming to Borough Hall, where parking is limited. Those spaces might not be available if the building was sold, he said.

Keeler said that it might be less expensive to buy Donovan's Reef than to build a new Borough Hall.

Councilwoman Maria Fernandes said she believed the asking price for the building was $4.5 million.

Keeler said the tax assessment could come to $3 million, and Fernandes answered that she had heard a $3 million offer was made and the bar's owners were "not happy" with it.

Keeler replied that the borough had the advantage of offering a "clean deal." Another potential buyer "could back out if certain things don't happen," he said.

Fernandes asked what the town would do with the bar itself, other than use the parking spaces.

Keeler answered that it could be leased out as is done in Allenhurst, where a portion of the town's beach club is rented out for use as a restaurant.

The revenue from the lease would compensate for the loss of tax revenues from the bar, he said.

Or, he said, the building could be used as a facility for the town beach.

Mayor Jo-Ann Kalaka-Adams said the parking spaces at Donovan's Reef were also used by residents during storms when it was necessary to move their cars to a place safe from flooding. If the building were sold to a developer, she said, "these parking spaces for residents would be taken away."

Fernandes questioned if buying the bar and renovating the Borough Hall would be much less costly than building a new Borough Hall.

There could be "surprises" found during renovations, she said.

"Whatever price we might have in our minds to renovate this, I would say just double it," Fernandes said.

Councilwoman Dina Long voted against allocating $2,500 for the assessment. She said that dealing with flooding problems in the town was a higher priority to her.

The borough has been working on a Smart Growth plan for the town that involves where the Borough Hall will be located.

In February, Diana Marsh, a planner from a firm hired by the borough to design a revitalization plan, gave a presentation at a public meeting that laid out three options for Borough Hall.

The first was to expand Borough Hall upward one story at its existing site, renovate the police building and move the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and first aid squad to a new building north of the existing fire department building; the second was to move Borough Hall, police and courts to a new building on the large municipal parking lot and replace the police headquarters with a new building to be used by the OEM and the first aid.

The third option was to move the Borough Hall and the court to a new building on the municipal parking lot, renovate the police building for police use and move the OEM and first aid to a shared building north of the fire department building. Under this plan the existing Borough Hall lot would be sold or kept by the town.

Marsh said that her firm, Philips Preiss Shapiro Associates Inc., New York, recommended the second option, and gave as one reason that under this plan the courts and police quarters would be in the same building, thus giving police protection to the courts.