Property Next to Englishtown Borough Hall May Become Parking Lot

The Englishtown Borough Council met Wednesday, Aug. 10 for further discussion of the proposed purchase of the 1.3-acre lot at 17 Main Street, located next door to the Municipal Building.

The council decided to let the attorney move forward with a contract to purchase the property for $190,000, as well as spend an additional $210,000 to transform the area into a public parking lot, equaling $400,000 in bonds.

The engineer report states that the lot is estimated to fit 68 cars, and possibly 80 if further testing is conducted on the wetland border at the far end of the property.

According to Councilman Gregory Wojyn, head of the Finance Committee, “parking in Englishtown has been an issue going back 100 years.” 

In 2007 Councilwoman Jayne Carr initiated a study in which a Sustainable Design Assessment Team assisted Englishtown in addressing key issues within the community.

The introduction of the report states “the number one concern of citizens was pedestrian safety followed closely by a perceived lack of parking downtown,” and makes several suggestions on how to address this.

Wojyn said he believes “we would be doing a severe injustice to not follow some of these recommendations.”

However, not all council members are as enthusiastic about the purchase and transformation of this property, which was first first made public known at a .

“We cannot afford to continue the tax increases while Manalapan holds theirs flat,” Carr said, head of the Legislative, Insurance, and Licenses Committee.  “Every yearly increase of $25,000 to $30,000 to the budget raises the property tax one cent on the $100.”  Carr, who claimed to have not been informed of the special meeting, said she feels the borough is spending money they do not have.

It is difficult to calculate the financial effect citizens will face from this project, because the future interest rates are unknown.

“If you look at the $400,000 based upon a two, two and a half percent interest rate, you’re talking approximately a[n annual] $50,000 cost over the next ten years,” Borough Administrator Laurie Finger said.

The lot is believed to significantly help with parking and safety, as well as give the citizens a more perceived downtown area.

“We are planning for the future,” Wojyn said.