Mid’town officials like what they see

Township Committee impressed with spaciousness of Banfield

By doug mckenzie

MIDDLETOWN — From old photographs to a bag of rolled coins to a copy of the bylaws for an exempt firemen’s association, members the Township Committee found a number of unusual items during a walk-through of the recently purchased Banfield Moving and Storage Co. building on Church Street.

Committee members Raymond O’Grady, Patrick Parkinson and Joan Smith, along with Mayor Rosemarie Peters and Ben Curci, the township’s superintendent of recreation, visited the abandoned building next to the train station Monday to get a better idea of how much work needs to be done to the facility in creating a community center for the township.

"We’re having the walk-through to see what can be done as an alternative to ripping the whole thing down or adding to the existing building," O’Grady said.

Along the way, the committee members found numerous traces of the building’s history which were left behind, including an antique Fairbanks-Morse scale which was used to weigh the moving company’s trucks before and after they had picked up their load to be transported. The scale was capable of weighing vehicles up to 20,000 pounds.

On the walls of the building’s offices committee members also found imprints of pictures and other items which had undoubtedly been hanging there for years prior to the sale of the property.

"This place was quite a throwback," Smith commented.

However, beyond the variety of knickknacks and the subsequent memories they created, the committee members also seemed to find a bit of optimism in the condition and layout of the building.

SEAN GUTHRIDGE Middletown officials discuss the condition of the building and how to turn it into a community center.

The Banfield building actually consists of two buildings, with a newer bay area apparently added to the original structure. Those areas, which are not insulated, appear to be the sections of the building which will require the most work.

"We’ll need to do quite a bit of exterior work before we think about any occupancy," O’Grady said. "We’ll need to make the shell intact."

Although O’Grady noted the amount of work it will take to transform the building into any type of public facility, he also reiterated his support for the project.

"I support the project entirely," he said. "This is a huge facility with a tremendous amount of square footage. ... I think there are some tremendous possibilities for a community center."

Peters echoed O’Grady’s sentiments, also noting the amount of space in the building.

"There’s all kind of space where you could see all kinds of possibilities," she said.

SEAN GUTHRIDGE The future Middletown community center site is located on Church Street by the Middletown Train Station.

Along with the bay areas and the office space in the front of the building, the facility also has a full basement, which committee members felt would be useful as storage space.

The basement also houses the building’s heating system, which would have to be replaced with a much larger system in order to heat the entire building.

Committee members were also pleased to find an existing sprinkler system, which they said could eventually save the township money while refurbishing the building. They also expressed a desire to leave a pair of sliding barn doors on the north side of the building intact, so that they can be opened during the warm weather months.

At this point, all discussions regarding plans on how to make the building into a community center equipped with a stage and numerous sections for arts and crafts are strictly in preliminary stages, the committee members stressed. However, Friday’s walk-through helped them get a better idea of what they have to work with.

"We’re going to be looking for some advice from our professional staff shortly," Curci said. "We just didn’t want to jump in with two feet to find out it’s quicksand."

Smith added that the committee will be seeking advice from someone with theater experience when redesigning the building.