Midland Park
December 19, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9
Barn renovation for ambulance building set to begin
The Bolger Foundation is purchasing the property, totally refurbishing the barn and then turning it over to the volunteer corps with the proviso that the property will revert to the borough should the ambulance corps cease to be an active organization. The project will be built under the direction of JT Bolger, representing the Bolger Foundation, and architect Peter Wells. Peter Wells said the proposed renovations will include new finishes, barrier free access, and energy efficiency to meet LEED industry standards. The heating and cooling will be supplied from a geothermal system. The first floor will house ambulance garages, office and meeting space, a kitchenette and bathroom facilities with decontamination showers for the use of the corps. The second floor will become a community center to be administered by the corps, with new bathrooms, office space and a commercial kitchen. An elevator will be installed for barrier-free access. The one-and-a-half-acre site on which the barn sits was subdivided from the 14.6-acre historic Granite Linen Mills property earlier this year. The barn does not have historic designation.
An architect’s rendering of the Bolger Community Center.
The Bolger Foundation has awarded the contract for the refurbishment of the Marlow Park barn to Visbeen Construction. The Ridgewood general contractor was selected from among three prequalified competitive bidders to convert the vintage Godwin Avenue barn on the former ITT Marlow property into the Bolger Community Center. The building will serve as the new headquarters for the Midland Park Volunteer Ambulance Corps and will also house a multipurpose room for community use on the second floor.
Attorney Tom Wells said all the necessary state, county and local approvals have been received and that a ground breaking ceremony will likely take place in Midland Park the second week in January before Bolger returns to Florida for the winter. The Midland Park Building Department does not hold the appropriate construction licenses, so drawings and documents had to be submitted to the NJ Department of Community Affairs for permits. With these in hand, the Bolger Foundation is looking to schedule a closing on the property for the first week in January, Wells said.