South Amboy Council
11/7/18 Business Meeting
By: Joseph L. Kuchie
SOUTH AMBOY – The city of South Amboy took a very large step in making a new ferry terminal a reality at last Wednesday’s city business meeting.
The city council unanimously voted to pass Resolution No. 164-2018, which awards a $1.475 million contract for the ferry facility’s design and permitting to French & Parrello, Associates. The city anticipates permitting and design to take six months once the resolution is approved by Mayor Fred Henry, and they hope to go out to bid for the terminal’s construction by Summer 2019.
“It’s a huge step, I know all of you have been up to your necks in it for a very long time,” Business Administrator Glenn Skarzynski said. “We have a very aggressive timeline for that. Mr. Tardy from French & Parello said if they were approved on the 7th, they’d intend to have people out there on the 8th getting started. We’re hoping by the summer to be in a position to go out for bid for actual construction of the terminal.”
“There are only a couple people who really know all the things we’ve gone through over the years to get these things accomplished and how often things changed for whatever reasons whether it was the federal government, whether it was D.O.T., whatever the case may be,” Henry said. “I’m just so happy that this is the next step and as Glenn said, they are on a schedule to have this done within six months and they are very confident that they will get it done.”
“It’s closer than we think,” he added. “We’ve been saying that for many years, but it’s just been a long process for a number of different reasons.”
The city formed a small committee to get this bid done and approved, which including city representatives including Skarzynski, Mayor Henry, and former Business Administrator Camille Tooker. Tooker was in attendance to see the resolution get passed, and Council President Mickey Gross thanked her for the work she has done.
“She has been working behind the scenes forever with this ferry terminal, and my hats are off to Camille Tooker for all the great work you have done and great work you still need to do, so thank you Camille.”
The city council also passed two resolutions by a vote of 4-1 that amends the resolution regarding the Manhattan Beach Project and authorizes the execution of the agreement. Resolution No. 162-2018 states that “SARA (South Amboy Redevelopment Agency) and the city have approved the proposed conveyance of the BNE (Real Estate Group) Site to BNE for the construction of a residential rental project consisting of approximately 500 units in two discrete components.”
Resolution No. 163-2018 goes into the redevelopment a bit further, highlighting that “Phase 1” will consist of 291 market-rate and 15 affordable residential units including parking spaces and an amenity space, and Phase 2 will include 210 market-rate and 11 affordable residential units. The current timeline would have construction on Phase 1 beginning in November 2020 and ending in November 2023, and Phase 2 construction beginning in November 2023 and ending in November 2025.
Corresponding ordinances were taken up on first reading that amend the beach club district redevelopment plan and approves applications for a long-term tax exemption regarding the redevelopers. The ordinances will be reviewed by the planning board, and the council plans to have a public hearing on the two ordinances at their next business meeting on December 5 at 6:00 p.m.
Councilman Brian McLaughlin was the lone councilperson to vote no on both resolutions and ordinances. All council members were in attendance for the meeting.
The next city council meeting has been changed from November 21st to November 19th at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will still take place at city hall.
