BERGENFIELD, NJ -- A celebratory groundbreaking ceremony took place in Bergenfield on Wednesday, May 4, this week, as municipal, police, Borough, and administration staff gathered to kick off the construction of what will be a new, three-story, 30,000 square foot police and municipal building for the Borough. In attendance were Mayor Arvin Amatorio, Council President Buddy Deauna, Council Members Rafael Marte, Ora Kornbluth, Thomas Lodato, Marc Pascual, Hernando Rivera, in addition to a variety of other Borough administrators, engineers, architects, and members of the construction team.
Mayor Amatorio opened the ceremony remarking, "Our new Borough Hall is being built with union labor and will stand for another 100 years representing progress and good government. I want to offer my sincere thanks to all of the council members, without whom this effort wouldn't have been possible, including Council Members Marte, Deauna, Kornbluth, Lodato, Pascual, and Rivera, Borough Administrator Corey Gallo, as well as the many engineers and architects who worked with us to design our new building.”
A crucial part of the decision to construct a new building was the excess of mechanical and structural problems in the existing building due to age, that would have required continued costly maintenance.
“We were kicking the can down the road for years with the old building,” said Council President Deauna. “It has served us well for almost 100 years but our new state-of-the-art municipal complex will save taxpayers significant money in infrastructure maintenance and massive energy costs.”
Built to provide various programmatic elements, including municipal police, Borough administration, municipal departments, a courtroom, and council chambers, the design of this facility organizes each function by level – with the police department located on the lower level, municipal offices on the second level, and courtroom and administration spaces on the third level.
Of particular note is the building’s future prominent and ceremonial frontage on North Washington Avenue for civic functions, with a more discreet frontage and a sallyport on a side street for police access. The new design will also feature expanded parking and landscaping.
“This new building will allow all those who work here to better serve the people of Bergenfield for years to come,” said Council Member Kornbluth.
“Bergenfield deserves first class facilities that support the needs, growth, and development of our residents and employees, and this project delivers on that promise while also meeting our responsibility to lower the burden on local taxpayers,” said Council Member Rivera, who was one of the project’s strongest advocates and a member of its design committee.
“We’re here to honor the old building as well as reflect on all the hard work it took to get us to this day,” said Council Member Marte. “This is a special day for Bergenfield as our vision is finally becoming reality!”
“Part of our Borough’s mission statement is ensuring that all new developments complement quality of life and be an asset to the community - and that is exactly what we are accomplishing here!” said Council Member Lodato.
“All progress is bittersweet as you must accept the changes that come with it. We will certainly miss the old building but our new borough hall will be a beacon of growth for our borough,” said Council Member Pascual.
Designed by RSC Architects and incorporating work performed by subconsultants T&M Associates and EvTech Consulting, contractor Epic Management, and construction manager Anser Advisory, LLC, this new facility will be built behind the existing municipal building in phases prior to its demolition in order to maintain important community functions. It is expected to be completed by August 2023, with demolition commencing shortly thereafter.
As John P. Capazzi, AIA, President of RSC Architects, noted, “This new facility is offering a thoughtful and organized program for the Borough that will serve to improve efficiency, provide a functional layout, and create dedicated spaces for important community employees. It’s always been a focus of ours at RSC to consider how our designs improve user satisfaction and communities at large.”
RSC Architects is an architectural firm that provides programming, planning, architectural design, interior design, and construction administration services. Anser Advisory is a national capital program and project advisory firm offering solutions to public and private sector clients implementing capital projects and programs. Epic Management was established in 1971 and has successfully built/managed thousands of projects by providing program and construction management services as a consultant or agent, design/build, construction management, and general construction project delivery services.
For more information on the Borough Hall construction project please visit: https://bergenfield.com/about/new-borough-hall-construction-project
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From L-R: Councilman Marc Pascual, Council President Buddy Deauna, Councilman Hernando Rivera, Mayor Arvin Amatorio, Councilman Rafael Marte, Councilwoman Ora Kornbluth, , Councilman Tom Lodato.
From L-R: Dan Connelly, President of the Anser Advisory Group, Councilman Hernando Rivera Council President Buddy Deauna, Councilman Rafael Marte, Councilwoman Ora Kornbluth, Mayor Arvin Amatorio, Councilman Tom Lodato, Borough Administrator Corey Gallo Councilman Marc Pascual, John Capazzi, President RSC Architects, Ken Mihalik, Senior Project Manager, RSC Architects, and William Morris, Vice-President, EPIC Construction.
