Advisory board’s input to weigh on final design
By John Pacenti
Call it the Taj Mahal of guardhouses. Architects presented to the Manalapan Town Commission a new glass-enclosed design — to replace the town’s aging guardhouse — that could run as much as $340,000.
However, Town Manager Eric Marmer says the final say will come after residents’ input at the town’s Architectural Commission meeting on March 5.
“It’s hard to say what the final design will be,” Marmer said. “We will have a clearer picture of the final design once the Architectural Committee meets and weighs in with their recommendation to the Town Commission.”
The guardhouse — built in 1968 — is located on Lands End Road and serves as the entrance to Point Manalapan, but it’s not easy for nonresidents to find. Motorists have to follow a circuitous route through Hypoloxo Island.
The J. Turner Moore Memorial Library is located in the neighborhood on the Intracoastal Waterway, and the guardhouse is adjacent to some stylish homes — right next door is a good two-story example of coastal colonial design, nicknamed “Southern Exposure.”
Options presented at the commission’s Feb. 10 meeting are eye-catching, to say the least.
Jess Sowards of Currie Sowards Aguila Architects presented commissioners with two main schemes: a full steel trellis that covers both ingress and egress lanes, and an asymmetric option that covers only the incoming lane while leaving the outbound lane open to the sky.
Both concepts center on a largely glass guardhouse clad with smooth-face coquina stone and dark bronze metal accents, designed to maximize visibility into the facility for security monitoring.
A covered carport for golf carts and integrated TV monitors above the guards, intended to reinforce the perception that drivers are being observed, are included in the proposal — though the public road is open to anyone.
Commissioners praised the design as modern and contemporary, but also questioned how the design strikes a balance between security and privacy for nearby homeowners.
The new design includes golf cart storage to allow guards — community service officers — to respond to medical emergencies quickly.
Commissioner David Knobel urged inclusion of vine-covered green walls or trellises along one or both sides of the structure to screen spillover light from the 24-hour facility. “With a glass guardhouse that might put light over to the houses on either side of it. So I was looking to kind of screen it a little bit,” he said.
Marmer added, “Obviously, the full trellis looks nice, but can we live with the half, asymmetrical trellis?”
The design drawings show a 15-foot clearance that Sowers said provides extra margin over the standard height requirements. Mayor John Deese and other commissioners expressed concern that oversized loads — an example was given of a truck full of grown palm trees — would not be able to get through.
“I don’t think that accommodating pretty much a one-off situation should be a big concern,” Knobel said.
Resident Niki Peterson, who sits on the Architectural Commission, attended the meeting and said she would like the full trellis: “I think it’s beautiful, that’s for sure.”
Marmer said the building alone, as now designed, would cost between $150,000 and $170,000. However, that does not include the trellis feature, which would double the cost of the project. “So, we didn’t budget for that,” he said. The commission earmarked $100,000 for the project, but Marmer said it’s not accurate to say the town has run over budget.
“When we originally budgeted for this project, it was to remodel what currently exists there,” he told The Coastal Star. “But after having people check it out, it’s in such poor condition that that doesn’t really make sense. So, it became a tear-down and rebuild.”
The new design expands the guardhouse from 200 to 260 square feet, growing it longer as opposed to wider.
A two-phase approach was discussed at the commission meeting: build the guardhouse, foundations and piling first, then add the trellis and site finishes in a later phase. Architects emphasized that piling and permitting work could proceed while the trellis is being fabricated.
Installing the pavers might present a conundrum, Marmer said, if the town moves forward with a septic-to-sewer project.
In the end, Deese said the town’s Architectural Commission should weigh in and allow residents to comment on the design at its meeting. The final say-so rests with the Town Commission.
Another major change for the guardhouse already occurred.
At January’s commission meeting, Police Chief Jeff Rasor said the town in December moved away from the private security company and created community service officer positions. They are employees of the Police Department and will staff the guardhouse.
Rasor noted the Police Department had already hired three CSOs and was working toward full 24/7 coverage, with regular police officers filling any gaps.
Target construction start for the guardhouse was discussed for the off-season in May, subject to permitting and bidding schedules.
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