The demolition of Hamilton Laundry finally began with the property now surrounded by construction fencing and the first structure (behind the main building, which is to the left in the photo above) razed this week. Demolition is expected to last several weeks.
When we last left the Hamilton Laundry saga, the City Council awarded a new contract of $370,000 about a month ago to Meco Demolition. For previous posts about Hamilton Laundry, click here.
A new contract — $90,000 more than the original bid — was awarded for demolition of the Hamilton Laundry building. City Council on Monday night accepted a $369,500 bid from Meco Demolition of Bensalem, Pa., the second lowest-bidder. LVI/Mazzocchi Wrecking of East Hanover had been awarded a $281,000 bid by the governing body in May.
City Attorney Louis Rainone said the lowest bidder had a conforming bid but subsequent information from the second bidder revealed a “failure to disclose some ownership issues.”
State regulations require companies to disclose all wh
o own at least 10 percent of a firm, he said, and the original low bidder had indicated it was 100 percent owned by one corporation, but that company was owned 100 percent another firm, which was owned by another corporation, and “on down the line.”
It’s unclear when the Hamilton Street structure eventually will come down to make way for a 1,000-seat ampitheater and park, but if you figure it was expected in June after the original contract was awarded in May, perhaps work might begin by September. At that time, it was expected that construction would begin in the spring and be completed by the summer.
Like the old Elton John song, the old Hamilton Laundry is “still standing.”
The City Council on Monday night will rescind a bid for demolition of the building on Hamilton Street that some day will make way for a 1,000-seat amphitheater.
With demolition permits approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection earlier this year, a $281,000 bid had been awarded by the council in May. The governing body was legally required to reject the bid from LVI/Mazzocchi Wrecking after it was challenged by another bidder, City Attorney Louis Rainone explained at last night’s council pre-conference meeting.
Long story short: LVI didn’t file the appropriate paperwork. The next lowest bidder was $90,000 higher, which would have impacted the budget, said Rainone. Councilman Jerry Scaturo questioned how a second round of bids would be affected after rejecting the first round, but Rainone was hopeful the bids would come back lower when re-bid next week and not “delay the project substantially.”
City Chief Financial Officer Frank Ruggiero expects the council will award a new demolition bid by next month’s meeting (Aug. 11), and work could conceivably begin within a month or so after that.
Demolition of the former Hamilton Laundry building is expected next month. The City Council last Monday night awarded a $281,000 contract to LVI/Mazzocchi Wrecking of East Hanover after the state Department of Environmental Protection approved demolition permits last month.
Conceptual designs for an amphitheater planned at the site, which abuts the Rahway River, have been presented to the Arts District Council, City Administrator/Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier said. Construction is expected next spring, to be completed by summer.
Flood
ing last spring (.pdf) proved too much for the Hamilton Laundry site, which at one point had been considered for a comedy club/black box theater, with Joe Piscopo among the investors. Instead, the focus of the Hamilton property will be a park and 1,000-seat amphitheater. A 7,000-square-foot black box theater and 9,000-square-foot performing arts space will focus instead on the nearby Bell building and Elizabethtown Gas property. The Redevelopment Agency is targeting the nearby Shami Apartments on Hamilton Street for 80 units of affordable housing for senior citizens and artists.
Once the amphitheater is completed, funding would be sought to retrofit the Bell building, which might be completed by summer 2010.
The conceptual design of a 1,000-seat ampitheater on Hamilton Street could come before the Redevelopment Agency next month.
City Administrator/Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier said he would request the city engineer to make a presentation on the status of the ampitheater. The Arts District Advisory Board has been working with an architect on ampitheatre concepts. The agency is next scheduled to meet April 9.
State approval for the demolition of the Hamilton Laundry building (below) could come as early as this month with actual demolition by summer’s end. The Arts District Advisory Board will work to complete the design 
for construction to begin next spring and be completed next summer. Funding then would be sought to retrofit the Bell Building (above), so by summer 2010 it’s ready to go for a black box theater. There also would be plans to create loft housing for artists and residents affilated with the arts district programs.
For those who are commuters, it was a pretty good week for news. It looks like NJ Transit will be one of the few places not raising prices this year while it becomes the first transit system in the Northeast to start using Google Transit. But it can’t all be good news, at least for those who travel toward Trenton.
A couple of mentions this past week of “The Wrestler” filming in Rahway; one story about filming at the hospital, and another on shooting at a local bar in Roselle Park.
Among the expected developments Mayor James Kennedy mentioned Monday night in his State of the City address was demolition of the Hamilton Laundry site in 2008.
There have been plans for the site for years — including a Joe Piscopo-backed comedy club — but after last spring’s flooding, it was decided to focus a park and amphitheater on the Hamilton property. Plans still call for a 7,000-square-foot black box theater and 9,000-square-foot performing arts space, but they will be targeted for the nearby Bell building, Elizabethtown Gas property and the Shami Apartments, where flooding is not an issue.
The City Council in November authorized a $825,000 bond ordinance for demolition of the Hamilton Laundry building and an application for demolition is awaiting approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection. City Administrator/Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier said last week that demolition could occur three to four months once the state gives its OK (he’s hoping for February or March). The state, however, might require a historical soil analysis (basically searching for historical artifacts and such) since an ampitheater will be built. A similar soil analysis was required for The Savoy project on Main and Monroe.