VILLAS – A bid process to restore the Judge Nathaniel Foster House, which has been ongoing since March, may be ending soon, with work possibly starting by early August, Lower Township Council announced at its July 20 meeting.
Recent bid submissions came in over budget, Lower Township Manager James Ridgway explained, but minor tweaks should expedite awarding the contract.
According to Ridgway, Michael Calafati, architect for the project, said two minor changes to the specifications should bring the project within the budget. Those changes consist of eliminating moving an electrical panel from the side of the house to the back and providing plumbing to an upstairs bathroom.
With those changes, Ridgway said he is confident the bid can be awarded by Aug. 3, with work starting shortly after.
The circa 1729 house is located on Bayshore Road, in Villas, near the Villas Fire Hall.
When the house faced private sale and demolition, in 2015, the Cape May County Historical Society sold the property to the county Open Space program, which then leased the property to Lower Township for preservation purposes.
The house will be conserved with grant money ($235,000) from the county and state.
A $15,000 Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund Historic Site Management Grant, in 2012, helped fund the preparation of a National Register nomination and conditions assessment.
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