ERMA – The cavernous, former WABCO (Westinghouse Air Brake Co.) building at Cape May County Airport may take on yet another life. Although it needs a new roof regardless of who uses the structure, its location might well be its salvation.
As Lower Township Council weighs the merits of relocating the Public Safety Building back to Villas from its present headquarters at 1389 Langley Road, the county is considering the 46,000-square-foot single-story building as its next site of the Office of Emergency Management. The municipality passed a resolution 3-2 July 21 authorizing creation of a budget line item to begin the process of moving the police department from its location at the airport, to a new facility at the municipal complex in Villas, as reported here July 23.
The county Office of Emergency Management, presently in the basement of the County Library main branch on Mechanic Street, Court House, needs to expand, but so does the library. While architect’s bids were authorized at the July 22 freeholder meeting for the library’s upgrade, the county still has its eyes on a place to locate its centralized, 911 communication center.
Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton reported to the board July 22 of a meeting he had with Lower Township Mayor Michael Beck and Administrator Michael J. Voll regarding the building.
Thornton noted they discussed a shared service agreement of that public safety building.
While Lower Township Council is divided, 3-2, on the benefits of restoring the police department to its former Villas location by the municipal building on Bayshore Road, Beck told the Herald he believes such a move would restore a sense of public confidence have the department in the hub of activity.
“We need more space,” said Thornton of the OEM and central 911 center. “If we go to a centralized 911 system we will need much more space. I think the airport might be a good site,” he added.
A shared services agreement could “save a couple of million dollars,” he noted, even “If we cut the space in half, both will have a whole lot of space.” Even after refurbishing and putting on a new roof, the county would be dollars ahead, he noted.
“We estimated the cost of a new Office of Emergency management at $5 million. We have been looking in Woodbine and in Upper Township,” Thornton continued. “It’s pretty obvious the airport is pretty safe, high and dry, and the communications (infrastructure) is already there. It’s very beneficial. The airport is a real asset.”
“Hopefully, the Lower Township official will agree,” he said.
While hopeful, Thornton stressed that these were “all preliminary structural studies. We want to make sure it is safe enough for us to move into that building. Hopefully we can have some shared services.”
Should such a move by the county take place, it would not be the first time the facility was used by the county.
When the Superior Court building in Court House was being renovated, the courts relocated into what is currently Lower Township Police Department headquarters.
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