Matawan to decide
fate of old
high school
By paul dowd
Staff Writer

MATAWAN — The Borough Council will be moving forward with the demolition of the old Matawan High School building on Broad Street.

The council has scheduled a special meeting for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Matawan Community Center on Broad Street to discuss the fate of the structure, which has been deemed unsafe.

The building on Broad Street near Route 34 served as the borough’s high school from 1923 to 1962. The borough acquired the vacant building, which served as the Matawan and Aberdeen high school from 1923-62, from the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District in 1992. The $475,000 purchase included the adjacent Broad Street Elementary School building, which now serves as the community center.

Reporting on his recent walk-through inspection of the building at last week’s council meeting, Borough Administrator Joseph Leo described the structure as being in a complete state of disrepair with 6 feet of standing water in the basement, apparently due to a partially collapsed roof.

Leo said the building poses a serious risk to anyone who might attempt to enter it, and is off limits to the public. He requested that police rope off any entranceways to the building to discourage trespassing. Leo also added that he won’t be conducting any more walk-throughs due to the unstable condition of the building.

In a recent study, Borough Engineer Robert Bucco recommended demolishing the building, which he estimated would cost between $225,000 and $250,000.

Clifton said there was no immediate timetable for demolition, as the necessary funding would have to be secured.

In other business last week, the council voted 5-0 to introduce a new parking ordinance to restrict parking in the municipal lot behind Matawan Drugs at Little and Main streets.

Councilman James Shea, who abstained from voting, asked if such an ordinance would be constitutional. Mayor Robert Clifton assured Shea that the matter has been investigated by Borough Attorney Brian Mullen for three months and is legal.

According to borough officials, the intention of the ordinance is to discourage commuters from parking in spots intended for downtown shoppers, residents and employees of downtown businesses.

The ordinance would restrict parking for nonresidents to three hours between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. for any motor vehicle, truck, tractor, or trailer of any kind. Exempt from the ordinance would be owners and employees of businesses located adjacent to and surrounding the parking lot and Main Street, plus any borough resident whose property is located in the vicinity of the lot and does not have a garage.

Borough residents exempted from the ordinance will be required to register the license plate of their vehicle with the borough police department to qualify for the exemption. The penalty for violation of the ordinance will result in a $35 fine.

A public hearing and vote on adoption of the ordinance are scheduled for Sept. 5.