The Taj Mahal of guardhouses will, alas, remain on the drawing board.
Manalapan’s Architectural Commission severely cut back on the ambitious plan originally proposed, Town Manager Eric Marmer said.
The new plan scales what could have been a $340,000 structure back to the size of the current aging guardhouse. Marmer said it will now cost the $100,000 that the Town Commission allocated for the project.
Gone is the elaborate steel trellis that would stretch over the guardhouse at Point Manalapan on Hypoluxo Island.
After some pushback to its original design, Currie Sowards Aguila Architects presented several new design options — contemporary, coastal, and Caribbean variations — at ARCOM’s March 5 meeting.
“The design, essentially, is like what you already have there, except the added features for better security and deterring crime with wider, bigger windows,” Marmer said.
Marmer described the new design as not the modern design initially proposed, “but it’s not going to be like the shack from the 1960s anymore.”
Police have emphasized that the new design will provide better sightlines, CCTV and license plate readers, on-site police staffing and an ADA-compliant restroom.
The new design will head back to the Town Commission for final approval.
— John Pacenti
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