By DON STINE
Efforts to sell the Neptune Senior Center to fund acquisition and improvements to a larger facility will proceed after the Township Committee resolved the issue of offering a private sale of the premises.
A public hearing on the issue has been scheduled for Oct. 27.
An ordinance was being considered that called for the township to sell the property at public auction for a $2.5 million minimum bid. The ordinance, however, would also allow a private sale to an incorporated, nonprofit hospitable association, like Jersey Shore Jersey Shore University Medical Center, just west of the senior center.
Jersey Shore has expressed a potential interest in purchasing the property, township officials said.
Committeeman James Manning Jr. expressed concern over the private sale aspect and the ordinance was tabled at the Sept. 22 committee meeting.
“In my mind we need to bid the property and that’s it. It someone wants to bid on it then let them bid on it,” Manning said.
Manning said he believes that a public auction is the more equitable way to sell the property.
“I’d rather receive bids than directly negotiate with the hospital or any other entity. If someone bids $3.5 million then that’s additional revenue for the township,” he said.
The private sale option has been removed from the revised ordinance and it was introduced for a public hearing on Oct. 27.
Michael Bascom, the township’s chief financial officer, said a direct sale would have saved money needed for marketing, advertising and auctioning the property- a cost he estimates at about $75,000
Once the revised ordinance is adopted the auction would not be held until next spring at the latest.
Bascom said renovations to the new senior citizens center will not be delayed due to waiting for money from the auction because the township is doing some short-term borrowing for the project.
“We do not believe there will be any delays as result of the economy. We think we are in a good situation to make this happen at this point and we are moving forward,” he said.
The township plans to purchase and renovate the old Rite Aid building, just east of the existing senior center at Route 33 and Neptune Blvd.
Repairs and renovations were originally proposed for the current 8,400-square-foot center but bids for that project were rejected by the governing body because they came in too high.
Instead, the vacant 12,500-square-foot Rite Aid building will be purchased and renovated since is has room for expansion and more parking.
The project will be funded through a $2.8 million bond ordinance with money from the sale of the old building used to pay down the bond.
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