An architectural firm will assess City Hall to help city officials prioritize what type of work needs to be done on the nearly 40-year-old building.
During its Dec. 9 regular meeting, City Council awarded a contract of $45,750 to RSC Architects for professional architectural services “associated with Municipal Building assessments,” according to the resolution (AR-256-19).
The Hackensack-based firm submitted proposals dated Nov. 15 and Nov. 18 to perform architectural services, specifically assessing City Hall, Rahway Public Library and Hamilton Stage, according to the resolution passed by the governing body.
City Hall has a multitude of issues, Acting City Administrator Robert Landolfi said during an interview after the Dec. 4 Redevelopment Agency meeting. RSC Architects will examine the Municipal Building’s operating systems, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and other areas. Before the city spends potentially substantial funds on things like a new roof or other systems, he said it’s prudent to have someone take a hard look and prioritize what needs to be done.
The office space within the two-story structure is not laid out in the most efficient manner and other areas of the building are not conducive to doing business. For instance, on nights when Municipal Court is held, there’s often a line that stretches outside the building as people are screened.
The building and adjoining police headquarters was completed in late 1980, according to this story in The New York Times. At the time, the $4.5-million project included what was “believed to be the country’s first solar-heated and -cooled municipal complex.” Although the consulting engineer responsible for the system is quoted as predicting “in 50 years, the savings will be astronomical,” less than 40 years later, the the system has not been operational for years, I’m told.
Rahway Public Library was constructed 15 years ago. Much of the $15-million cost was covered by state and federal funding after the previous library on Central and St Georges avenues was flooded during Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999. The library is part of a 75,000-square-foot facility that includes office space on the upper two floors. The library occupies about 32,000 square feet on the first two floors, which are owned by the Redevelopment Agency as part of a condominium association.
The $6-million Hamilton Stage, also owned by the Redevelopment Agency, opened in September 2012 after extensive renovations to the former Bell Telephone Building on Hamilton Street.
