County To Build $8 Million Garage In Manchester

Manchester Town Hall (Photo by Micromedia Publications)

MANCHESTER – A large garage that will consolidate two other county operational buildings will be built on Ridgeway Boulevard, officials said.

The Western Facilities Transportation Garage could break ground this year, county administrator Carl Block said. The facility would take the place of two county buildings that are elsewhere. The road department garage is surrounded by municipal buildings near the Jackson Township town hall and cannot expand as it needs to. The transportation department has outgrown the garage on Route 9 in Toms River as well.

The Manchester property was purchased years ago, he said. The planning for the project started around eight years ago.

An ordinance that would appropriate $8 million (fueled by $7.6 million in bonds) to fund the design, permitting, and construction of the building was brought up at the most recent Ocean County Freeholders meeting. However, there were not enough members available to vote to authorize the spending of the money, so the final reading of the ordinance was put off until the July 19 meeting.