A rendering of the new township municipal building, to be located on Route 33 next to Investors Bank.
By Dave Fried
The old police substation on Washington Boulevard in Foxmoor—once earmarked to become the site of Robbinsville Township’s first permanent home since 2006—became a picturesque park dedicated in October 2014.
The alternate location for that new municipal building on Route 33 was part of a deal struck with Roma Bank. We even staged a groundbreaking ceremony in October 2012. But then Roma sold its assets to Investors Bank, and the agreement we had in place for a three-story office building was suddenly off the table.
On Oct. 29, thanks to a great deal of hard work by many people at Investors Bank, my Township staff and the Robbinsville Township Council, we held the official groundbreaking on the plot of land adjacent to Investors that will house a one-stop-shop for residents in the form of a new municipal building.
What a long, strange trip it’s been.
Township council last year approved a $3-million bond to finance the purchase of the site and build a single story, 15,000-square-foot structure that will include a council chamber for public meetings and consolidate all municipal offices with the exception of the police station and municipal court, each of which will remain on Route 130. Planning and Zoning Board meetings will be held in the council chamber, which also will be available for other Township and civic functions.
Robbinsville Township currently rents two floors at One Washington Boulevard, with the tax, construction and communications offices in the basement, the Office of the Mayor, Business Administrator and the Clerk at one end of the hall on the second floor; and the Recreation Division along with Engineering/Planning/Zoning at the other end.
The new building will be constructed by Scozzari & Sons and take approximately one year to complete. There will be plenty of parking, but the site also will be accessible to those who wish to walk over to pay their bills or obtain a permit.
At the end of the day this building will allow us to deliver better customer service. It will be much larger than our existing space, and it will become a long-term asset. Because we will be taking advantage of some very favorable interest rates, we can keep our commitment to the community not to raise taxes.
When I think about how both Foxmoor Community Park and the new municipal building plan came to be, it was really the community which inspired both projects.
Investors Bank was very generous when it agreed to sell us the property at sizeable discount, and we in turn agreed to a deed restriction prohibiting us from using the site for any commercial use.
With almost 80 percent of our township’s population living within a half-mile of the new building, I firmly believe this property is the best place for us from both a financial and logistical standpoint.
Thank you to everyone for helping to get us closer to the finish line.
Dave Fried is the Mayor of Robbinsville.
