'A new chapter for Montgomery': Township breaks ground on new municipal center
MONTGOMERY - The long-awaited official groundbreaking for a new municipal center off Orchard Road was such a special event that township staffers, who work "elbow to elbow" in the existing municipal building on Route 206, were given time off to attend the ceremony.
The new municipal center "reflects the best of Montgomery," Mayor Sadef Jaffer said at Thursday’s event.
Despite the struggles of 2020, the mayor said, the new municipal center, which “has been in the works for years" is proof that "Montgomery's future is bright."
The design and proposed uses of the center will showcase the diversity of the township and its "togetherness," said Jaffer, the first Muslim female to serve as a mayor in the United States.
When he first came to Montgomery in 1999, Township Administrator Donato Nieman said he saw the need for more space for the municipal government and police department.
In 2000, the township's population was 17,841, almost doubled from what it was in 1990, when the current municipal building was last expanded. Montgomery's population is now estimated at more than 23,000 and is the second wealthiest community of more than 10,000 people in New Jersey.
Montgomery is no longer a rural community, Nieman said, but a "sophisticated suburban municipality."
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"This is the beginning of site of a new chapter for Montgomery," he said.
The municipal center will be on the 45-acre site of the former Convac Tec corporate offices on Orchard Road just off Route 206, about a mile from Montgomery's town center at the intersection of the highway and County Route 518.
The new center, scheduled for completion in 18 to 24 months, will be approximately 62,500 square feet, including a new Somerset County library branch of 20,000 square feet.
Under an agreement reached with Rocky Hill, the Mary Jacobs Memorial Library and Somerset County earlier this year, the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, which served Montgomery and Rocky Hill residents, will remain open.
The library will share the first floor of the new center with the police department. Municipal services will be on the second floor. There will be 11 formal meeting rooms, with the largest accommodating 100 people.
The land was purchased for $5.9 million by the Somerset County Improvement Authority and a construction bid for $25.4 million was awarded in August to Debco Inc. of Wayne. There is a $30-year loan of $35 million with an interest rate of 1.75%. The annual debt service will be $1.9 million, lower than the initial estimate of $2.2 million when interest rates were higher.
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The initial design was presented in early 2018 by DMR Architects of Hasbrouck Heights and was redesigned after public input. Those revisions included an outdoor events plaza, more study rooms and a community room in the library and enhanced green space around the building.
The new center will meet all requirements of the American with Disabilities Act and will be more energy efficient than the current municipal building.
The library will feature many new amenities, including a lounge area for parents and casual readers, a children's room, coffee bar, fireplace and lockers outside for after-hours pickup of books via a code sent to a cellphone or other mobile device.
"A day like today is a blessing," Freeholder Director Shanel Robinson said.
The project, she said, demonstrates Montgomery's "resilience" and shows "we can still work together to create great things."
Freeholder Melonie Marano, who worked with the Somerset County Improvement Authority and the Somerset County Library System on the project, said she was excited the long-awaited project was finally coming to fruition.
"We all know how much Montgomery loves a library," she said.
Marano maintained her composure when a wind gust blew a New Jersey flag into her at the ceremony.
"You can tell I am a true Jersey girl," she said. "I am wrapped in the New Jersey flag."
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.