Improve space utilization and provide a safe, comfortable, and productive environment for all employees, volunteers, and visitors.

The plan to consolidate the scattered location of many borough services was adopted by the council in 1969. The facility opened in 1970.

No, interior spaces have been rearranged, HVAC equipment replaced, and storage areas have been converted to office and conference rooms. In 1980 manager Bill O'Brian attempted to address existing deficiencies. Today, the Borough hall is in need of additional HVAC work and repairs to the leaking roof.

The building is approximately 11,700 square feet including the fire bays, common areas, and walls.

Despite the name, the Borough Hall houses the Board of Education, Police Department, Fire Department, Tax Assessor, Building Department, Planning and Zoning Departments and the general administration offices including the utility clerk. The council chambers and court offices are also in the building.

The Board of Education contributed to the original planning and cost of the building. The current Board of Education, Borough Council, and respective administrations of the Borough and BOE feel that it is beneficial to the community to have the two services operating in the same building. The shared services agreement between the DPW and Board is managed more efficiently as well. Overall, this BOE location provides the necessary privacy required to all students and parents with specific issues to be discussed with the administration, and not within the venues of the school buildings.

There is no simple answer to this question due to the varied types of uses and number of volunteer users. Breaking the uses into four areas: Board of Education, Borough, Police, and Fire Department, the employees are as follows:

• Borough: 4 Full-time, 22 Part-time;
• Board of Education: 10 Full-time;
• Police: 14 officers, 4 Dispatchers, 1 PT clerical;
• Fire: 35 Senior volunteer, 30 Junior volunteer.

No, since 1991 there are only three additional employees across the entire municipal budget including Police and DPW. However, work place needs and standards have changed. Additionally, today we have sewer and solid waste/recycling programs to administer.

As in your own home and job, we live in a much more complex world today then three decades ago. The original work space had no provisions for today's equipment such as computers, printers, fax machines and copiers. Additionally, standards for records retention, file space, privacy and compliance with the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) require more space than in the past.

The need to respect the privacy rights of residents, visitors, and others conducting business with the borough is of the utmost importance. There are also issues specific to the Police Department that deal with evidence handling, detainees, juveniles, and victims of domestic violence. Our current facility does not permit the police to interview individuals in a private respectful matter. Often, someone will accidentally walk in during a police interview. This is a major deficiency.

At this point in time, we do not have answers to these questions. The council has formed a sub committee to thoroughly evaluate the needs and then to explore various options to meet those needs. The council is committed to a through and open process that will lead us to the best and most efficient solution for the community. The sub committee meetings are open to the public and will meet on a regular basis. Check back to the website for additional information.