Crews Prep Site of Moorestown Town Hall Construction

Sambe Construction will use an alternative method—rather than the noisy, potentially disruptive rapid impact compaction—to prep the ground for construction.

Crews wrapped chain-link fence around the perimeter of the soon-to-be municipal complex Monday, as Sambe Construction prepares to break ground on the 45,000-square-foot structure later this month. The fencing will block off virtually the entire parking lot for the library and recreation center, except for a small section outside the rec center, throughout construction, which is expected to take roughly 450 days.  To prepare the ground for construction, crews will have to perform a "soil exchange," which involves removing the loose soil underneath the site of the old town hall and replacing it with denser soil, explained Sambe vice president Yan Girlya. Project architects Ragan Design Group had originally recommended a process known as …

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JustWondering

11:54 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A change order becomes appropriate if there is a proposed modification to either the end date of the overall project schedule, or the total cost of the project. According to the information reported, there is no cost impact, and this is such a small component of the overall schedule, it is unlikely that there is a "big picture" schedule impact. So - no change order. BTW - I am not an apologist …   more ›

Groundbreaking for New Town Hall Friday

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new municipal complex will be held at 10 a.m. Friday.

Five years after fire damaged town hall and more than a year after the building was demolished, the township will finally break ground on the new municipal complex. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the site of the new complex, across from the Moorestown Library. Mayor John Button said he expects construction to begin very soon after, possibly as early as Monday. "They'll put the fences up ... They have to take trees down," he said. "I think that kind of work will start up right away." During construction, much of the parking lot by the library and recreation center will be closed off. Library and rec center patrons will be able to use the municipal lot across the street, behind the Main Street shops. The township…

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'Incredible' Amount of Interest in Municipal Complex Project

The township pushed back the due date for bids by a week after nearly 30 contractors purchased plans for the project.

After experiencing an unusually high level of interest from contractors, the township has pushed back the due date for bids for the municipal complex project. Architect Rick Ragan told township council Monday that 28 contractors and subcontractors had purchased the project plans. “It’s an incredible amount,” he said, and, as a result, he anticipated there would be a plethora of questions. “The contracting community tends to look at project plans three weeks before (the due date), and inundate you with questions one week before,” he said, only half-joking. The multitude of questions resulted in a series of minor tweaks to the project—including revisions to the site plan, since the existing library is not being demolished, and requests for …

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What You Missed from This Week's Council Meeting

Township manager Scott Carew provided an update on the municipal complex project and township clerk Patty Hunt announced the total haul from Moorestown Night.

For those who couldn’t make it to Monday night’s township council meeting, there were a few interesting items that didn’t make it into a full story, but were nonetheless noteworthy. Here are a few leftover tidbits from the meeting: Township council will hold its next regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 in the IT room at Moorestown High School.

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Under the Radar

Not Just Your Average Joe

The director of the Moorestown Library tells all: what he does, where all the money goes, and what he thinks of the proposed library plans.

When asked if they like what they do for a living, most people's answers tend to be predictable: a shoulder shrug, perhaps an eye roll, before saying something like "It's a living," or "I'm lucky to have a job in this economy." Occasionally, you might get someone who says they HATE their job, then rants on about evil bosses, petty office politics and rancid coffee in the breakroom. Rarely does anyone tell you they LOVE their job. It is so rare, in fact, that should you witness a display of career adoration, you will either be envious, disbelieving or thrilled there are actually people in this world who delight in what they do.   Joe Galbraith, director of the Moorestown Library, is one of those people. The question is, what exactly does …

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What You Need to Know for Tonight's Council Meeting

Moorestown council could resolve five major issues tonight, including the scope of liquor licenses and improvements to Wesley Bishop North.

Tonight’s council meeting looks to be a memorable one, with the possible resolution of five major projects/initiatives on the docket. The following is a sampling of what’s on the agenda: The council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the IT room at Moorestown High School. Check out the above attached PDF to see the full meeting agenda.

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Manager: $19M in Capital Projects Possible with No Tax Increase

Moorestown township manager Scott Carew says the township has enough revenue and savings coming its way to offset the many projects on its plate.

A rough sketch of Moorestown’s fiscal future shows it has enough money to complete most of its major capital projects—without having to raise taxes. After Councilman Mike Testa voted against a bond ordinance to fund improvements to the Church Street Recreation Center, claiming he needed to know what the tax impact would be, financial officer Tom Merchel prepared a budgetary outline laying out every financially significant project currently on the township’s plate. The sum total of the projects on the list—including $13.3 million for the new municipal complex, $690,000 for the rec center, and $1.4 million for Wesley Bishop North—came to $19 million. Township manager Scott Carew said, based on Merchel’s projections, that $19 million would …

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What You Missed from This Week's Council Meeting

Township council OK'ed improvements to the Church Street Rec Center and the town manager shared new information about the athletic field sponsorship program.

For those who couldn’t make it to Monday night’s township council meeting, there were a few interesting items that didn’t make it into a full story, but were nonetheless noteworthy. Here are a few leftover tidbits from the meeting: Council will hold its next regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 (due to the Labor Day holiday) in the IT room at Moorestown High School.

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Letters to the Editor

Republicans Laud Council for Progress on Major Projects

After council approved three major capital projects—including town hall—last night, the Republican candidates for council give them a pat on the back.

To the editor: Our team applauds the five members of town council for their willingness to put aside their past differences and come together in the spirit of community to address a number of our town’s most pressing issues. Moorestown has waited five years to see movement on the town hall project, and we are glad to see that the members of council realize that our citizens have waited long enough. As our team has been knocking on doors and meeting voters, we have heard many of them express a strong desire to see town hall back in the center of Moorestown where it belongs. We are grateful to see that the members of council agree. In addition, we are encouraged by the efforts of council on the Wesley Bishop improvement debate. We hope this…

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