Ocean County Moves Forward On $15.4M Purchase Of Toms River Schools Building

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Ocean County Board of Commissioners introduced an ordinance Wednesday to set aside $20.5 million to purchase properties, including $15.4 million for the Toms River Regional Schools administration building.

The ordinance is set for a public hearing and vote at the April 16 commissioners' meeting.

The purchase of the administration building, at 1144 Hooper Ave. has been discussed for several weeks, with Toms River Regional Superintendent Michael Citta announcing the negotiations in mid-February.

Commissioners Robert Arace and Jennifer Bacchione said the decision to purchase the building was made because the county had been looking at alternatives to get more space to meet the growing demand for the county's services.

The Ocean County Board of Elections, for example, is in a small space in the basement of one of the buildings downtown, said Michael Fiure, the county administrator, and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office operations are fragmented.

The county has been exploring options for increased office space for more than two years. Arace said there had been considerations of building a new building, but costs were projected at $130 million.

Buying the Toms River Schools administration building provides more than 90,000 square feet of functional space for a fraction of that cost, Fiure said.

"There has been a long-term plan to address the county's needs for space," he said. "This allows us to accelerate that plan."

The building also is in a prime location near the county's new Social Services building and other nearby services, he said.

"By no means is it about bailing out a (school) district," Arace said in response to a question from a resident.

Fiure said the additional $5.1 million in the ordinance is there to allow the county to have funds available if they find another property to purchase for added space, so the commissioners don't have to pass multiple ordinances. If the money is not spent, the unspent portion will be returned to the capital fund, he said.

The funds are being appropriated from the county's capital improvement fund, money the county already has, not through the sale of bonds.

In addition to the ordinance appropriating the money for the purchase, the commissioners approved a resolution to allow the county to buy the 1144 Hooper Ave. property, which allows the county to finalize the contract negotiations with the Toms River Schools.

Once the ordinance is approved, there is a 20-day period before it goes into effect, Fiure said, so the closing on the purchase is anticipated to happen in early May.

The change in ownership won't mean the building's tenants will be out right away; Fiure said one of the clauses in the contract requires the district to notify the other tenants in the building that their leases will end Dec. 31, 2026, giving them ample time to find new office space.

The Toms River Regional School District occupies about 60 percent of the building, Citta said Wednesday night during the district's citizens budget advisory meeting. Part of that space is occupied by the Early Learning Center, the district's preschool program. That program will move to North Dover Elementary School at the start of the 2025-26 school year.