By Jane Musgrave
Now that Manalapan has the deed for the land for its new Town Hall, it’s turning its attention to figuring out how to pay for the complex.
One likely source of money is donations from Manalapan residents.
Town Commissioner David Knobel said many of his neighbors want to contribute to the estimated $20 million project so the town doesn’t have to go into debt to build its new digs on the site of a former bank in Plaza del Mar.
A reasonable fund-raising goal? Ten million dollars, Knobel suggested.
The town has already secured an estimated $8 million from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue to help pay for the fire station that will be part of its new administrative complex. Town Manager Eric Marmer estimated the sale of the half-acre site of the existing Town Hall, which likely would be torn down for residential development, would bring in $4 million to $6 million.
He also said that a proposed luxury condominium development near the shopping plaza on South Ocean Boulevard could generate sufficient taxes to pay for the new complex. However, he cautioned, the project isn’t a sure thing.
Also, Knobel said, the $20 million estimate for the new administrative complex doesn’t cover all of the expenses. “It’s not only the building, but we have to furnish it,” he said.
Marmer said he would develop brochures and work with Knobel on the fund-raising campaign.
The town in June paid an initial $2.85 million for the 1-acre site of the former bank that is owned by Salute Realty LLC, of Babylon, New York. The payment came after Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Darren Shull ruled that the town could seize the property by eminent domain.
Negotiations for a final sale price are continuing. If no agreement is reached, a jury could be asked to determine how much more the town should pay for the land.
Comments