City Council awarded a second contract for further environmental services on a downtown property that the city plans to acquire.
The governing body tonight approved a resolution (AR-9-20) awarding a second professional services contract to Middletown-based T&M Associates for $19,250. The contract is for environmental services related to the former Kelly’s Pub property at Irving Street and Seminary Avenue.
The resolution calls for T&M to complete “a site investigation, test pit evaluation and submit a site investigation summary report and health and safety plan.”
This contract follows up a $9,500 contract awarded in December for “preparation of preliminary assessment/geophysical survey,” for a combined total of $28,750. Both contracts are part of a “pre-acquisition study” of the three lots around Irving Street and Seminary Avenue.
City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Robert Landolfi described the second contract as a follow-up to the first phase, which entailed a preliminary assessment of the property. Based on the first phase, consultants recommended doing more site investigation, he said during a brief interview after last week’s pre-conference meeting.
The city is expected to acquire the three parcels (Block 162, Lots 5, 6 and 7), located at 1646-8 and 1654 Irving St. The governing body last month tabled ordinances to acquire the properties until due diligence on the site investigation is completed. In the meantime, planners have been hired to design a redevelopment plan for the area, which would include not only these three corner parcels but also six adjacent properties on Hamilton Street — including the former St. Mark’s Church — that were designated for redevelopment last summer.
The redevelopment plan will aim to accentuate the Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC), incorporating the public assets in that part of downtown, according to Landolfi, such as Hamilton Stage, Elizabethtown Gas building, the former Arts Guild building, Arts District Park, and office space on Coach and Irving street adjacent to UCPAC, which it leases to Union County College (UCC) office space.
