The council approved an emergency appropriation to hasten the decontamination and demolition of a borough-owned property at 125 Park Ave. Citing borough engineer George Beckmeyer's concerns with the structural integrity of the building and adjoining properties, the council moved at its Feb. 19 meeting to forego the usual bidding process for the demolition work, and awarded a contract worth approximately $112,000 to Russo Construction of Hackensack.

Complicating the move is the recent discovery of asbestos on site, which will have to be removed by a separate contractor before the building can be razed. That process is expected to cost in excess of $27,000.

In deference to the proximity of neighboring buildings, much of the work will be done by saw and sledgehammer instead of heavy machinery. As the existing foundation is deconstructed, workers will lay concrete abutments against its sidewalls, in case the floor joists and other elements in the existing structure bear loads from adjoining buildings. The contract also includes money for filling in the old foundation and seeding the new surface.

Both projects are expected to be financed through a joint bond originally worth $2.45 million, issued by the borough last year for the purchase of several properties: the Park Avenue location, a pair of abutting lots at 2 Carlton Ave., and an abandoned gas station at the intersection of Paterson Avenue and Hoboken Road.

The Park Avenue property has a long and somewhat checkered past. It formerly housed Park City Grill, a popular bar and nightclub viewed as a nuisance by some residents who took issue with its boisterous and at times unruly patrons. In March 2007, East Rutherford's mayor and council voted to rescind the club's entertainment license, prompting owner Lou Grasso to shut his doors and eventually sell. Soon after the borough paid approximately $1.3 million to acquire it, the location was deemed structurally unsound, and warnings were posted at its entrance. But this did not stop burglars, who on the night of Feb. 2 broke into the building and made off with an estimated $600 worth of building supplies.

The council plans to install a municipal parking lot at the site, ameliorating parking woes on Park Avenue and increasing open space in East Rutherford's downtown area.

Carlton Avenue

During the same meeting, the mayor and council announced progress in the acquisition of property at 2 Carlton Ave. After months of stalled negotiations with the owners of Global Wrap, which occupies a landlocked parcel on the block, borough officials are now moving to have the building condemned. As part of the legal process, the borough has offered $1.2 million for the parcel, and pending settlement will have to pay at least that much to gain control of it. The issue is likely to remain in litigation for at least several months. The borough remains in private negotiations with owners of a neighboring property at the same address. The town hopes to convert the area into a park that will compliment its "Rails to Trails" program, which will transform a disused railway along W. Erie Avenue into a walking and cycling trail.

Sunoco station

Meanwhile, the borough finalized a deal to acquire the Sunoco station at the intersection of Paterson Avenue and Hoboken Road. At various times, the site has been slated for commercial use and to house the East Rutherford Historical Society. But according to Councilman Jeffrey Lahullier, head of the buildings and grounds committee, the borough now hopes to use the property to reroute New Jersey Transit buses that currently employ two small residential roads between Paterson and Hoboken as turnarounds.

"It's really all about quality of living issue for the people on Lincoln Place and Washington Avenue," said Lahullier, referring to the residents who have long protested the bus routes. "It's about them not having to hear the buses' breaks screeching and the dishes rattling in their cupboards. Those streets are not designed for buses."

Lahullier added that the rerouting plan has been blessed by Bergen County, and the borough is currently discussing options with NJ Transit and state officials.