Hazlet town hall is now a political football

Knock, knock, please let us in. The Hazlet Democrat majority has decided to use delay tactics in opening the new town hall to its residents. Since the postponement of the ribbon-cutting ceremonies in December due to a mechanical unit malfunction and improper insulation installation - which has all been corrected some time ago - the mayor and committee majority have decided to keep the Hazlet residents, senior citizens and the recreation center hostage.

It is the same with the success of any construction project, keep the project under budget and get operations up and running as soon as possible. This project is currently under budget as attested by the mayor but there are always change order disputes and minor corrective works to be performed by the contractor. Everywhere else in the world, the new building gets occupied and then it becomes the contractor's responsibility to complete their works at their expense and within a schedule, not let the residents be inconvenienced and put out. Currently, the contractor is working on painting errors and dented door frames, hardly a reason to keep Hazlet residents out in the cold. The mayor's response is "we are not moving in until it is 100 percent complete" with no final completion date given.

Final inspections still need to be requested, the existing recreation center needs to be put back to its original condition, and each of the township boards and commissions need to get back to order and accommodated for.

I am surprised that the seniors have not challenged the committee more on this. The previous Township Committee made a promise to them to get them back in their building as soon as possible along with Green Acres agreement. Now the new mayor wants to make town hall a political football and wait for the paint to dry before our administration can move in.

Thanks go out to the school administration for allowing the seniors to use their facilities during the past three years, thanks to all of the boards and commissions that have worked in temporary locations for meetings and activities and thanks to the recreation commission for being so understanding and working around the various boards schedules and limited activities due to limited space.

The Township Committee three years ago was able to move the entire town hall administration into a temporary location over one weekend, but this new township committee cannot make a decision or negotiate with a contractor or keep promises to the residents.

Please, Mr. Mayor, let us move in.

Scott Aagre

Hazlet