Mayor wants CECOM building for town hal l Tarantolo writes U.S. Army about fort building BY SUE MORGAN Staff Writer Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo EATONTOWN - Because constructing a newer, bigger town hall could prove costly, Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo is forging ahead with his proposal to acquire two Fort Monmouth buildings for a municipal center. Should Eatontown convince the U.S. Army to turn over the two facilities, designated as Buildings 1206 and 1207, for civilian use after the fort closes in 2011, Tarantolo says the borough will gladly share its new space with other nearby government entities. To get the wheels rolling, Tarantolo has mailed an official notice of intent (NOI) regarding the property to Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Joseph W. Whittaker in Washington, D.C. In a letter on borough stationery dated Oct. 20, Tarantolo maps out his ideas for the two buildings, which will become surplus property once the military leaves the fort as a result of the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. Building 1207, a 52,400-square-foot structure now known as the Life Cycle Management Center was formerly the Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM) facility. With an adjacent parking lot to the east, Tarantolo describes that building as a prospective new site for municipal offices. A geothermal field that provides "state of the art energy needs" would heat and cool the building at a cost savings, he said. Contiguous to that structure is Building 1206, a more than 9,200-square-foot facility holding a 620-seat auditorium that could "complement the municipal center as a public meeting location for municipal events," Tarantolo wrote to Whittaker. A connected, outdoor auditorium with a seating capacity for 800 to 1,000 patrons could be used "for outdoor events," he went on. If the Army turns over the buildings to the borough, the offices for other government entities such as the Eatontown Board of Education, the borough sewerage authority, and a regional municipal court could also be housed along with the town's administrative offices, Tarantolo wrote. Presently, Eatontown provides municipal court services for neighboring Shrewsbury Township, the mayor noted. "I would like to meet with you directly to discuss in more detail the advantages this acquisition would have not only for Eatontown, but also for other municipalities in the surrounding area," Tarantolo wrote. A voting member of the public-private Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority (FMERPA), the state-sanctioned entity charged with overseeing future uses of the 1,126-acre military installation after it closes, Tarantolo represents Eatontown's interests on the 10-member board. Because the borough of Eatontown is a government entity, Tarantolo is hoping the federal government will provide the property as a public benefit conveyance (PBC) between governing entities. "It's a legitimate part of the BRAC process," Tarantolo said. Depending upon the specifics of a particular PBC arrangement, the recipient can receive government surplus property for its market value, less than market value or even no cost, he explained. Eatontown's borough government has outgrown its current home, the existing more than 40 year old municipal building at 47 Broad St. An architect's report has shown that the 15,000-square-foot building cannot be added on to, Tarantolo said. Referring to the rising costs of construction, Tarantolo said he favors using an existing, larger structure rather than trying to site and then erect a new facility from the ground up. Though neighboring Tinton Falls is now seeing construction of a new municipal building, that facility came about amid escalating costs of labor and materials that sidelined the project, he pointed out. A new municipal courtroom, complete with smaller conference rooms and a judge's chambers, could be shared with other towns via shared services agreements, Tarantolo said. At the most recent FMERPA meeting on Oct. 18, Tarantolo shared his plans to ask for the buildings with fellow authority members.