New Mendham Police Station One Step Closer To Becoming Reality

MENDHAM, NJ — Ground is expected to be broken on Mendham Township’s new police headquarters in September if Mendham Township’s Committee decides to move forward and approve the bid award for the construction project on Monday night.

The Township Committee plans to adopt a resolution that would give J.R. Contracting and Environmental Consulting Inc., a contractor from Wayne, the go-ahead to build a new police station.

Construction should be finished by the summer of 2022.

After eight bids were received by Aug. 10, with J.R. Contracting and Environmental Consulting picked from the top three, the Township Committee now plans to execute a contract with the firm, pending approval of their resolution on Monday night.

The contractor’s costs won’t exceed $2,189,000, per a bid that Cornerstone Architectural Group prepared for Mendham Township.

What was at the spot where the new one will be built on - a former split-level converted house circa 1950s to 60s - was razed during the week of Aug. 9, to make way for the new station.

The station needed to be upgraded on many fronts, with the converted home not having had a holding room up to standards, plus residential-style restrooms.

Officers were additionally working from two trailers on the property and their evidence and reception rooms had previously flooded. They also battled rotting flooring in some parts of the building and issues with rodents.

Click the link here to view a video that shows the conditions the officers of the Mendham Township Police Department have dealt with in their building.

Mendham Township Mayor Sarah Neibart announced Sunday in a news release that with the up-to-date station being constructed in the historic Brookside neighborhood, entry to the police parking lot will come from the municipal parking lot on Cherry Lane. Police and officers’ personal vehicles will also be parked in the municipal lot, Neibart said.

The new police department building is one part of a larger upgrade plan, with Town Hall, which contains municipal offices and the library, almost a century old. That building is in need of a new roof, windows, boiler and to be brought up to Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, among its issues.

Click here for more information about the upgrades to Town Hall and the police department. See Cornerstone Architectural Group’s final report here about the Town Hall and police department projects.

Correction: The article was updated to reflect that the building where the future police station will go was razed.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.