County Gets Fort Monmouth Teen Center and Pool

Dormant now for more than a year, Fort Monmouth's Teen Center and its pool in Tinton Falls will see new life next year under the ownership of Monmouth County.

This week the Fort Monmouth Economic Revilatization Authority approved the transfer of the property to the county under a Notice of Interest program, where the Army conveys a property to an entity at no cost, for the good of the public.

Freeholder Lillian Burry, who is a member of the board of FMERA, thanked the board for its approval of the NOI and said the facility will be regional.

"We're anxious to have it opened and functioning in late spring," she said.

Though the county won't pay for the property directly, it will come with costs.

As part of FMERA's developer agreement with the county, Tinton Falls and CommVault, the county will compensate FMERA in "in-kind services" equal to the agreed upon real estate value of the Teen Center and pool, $502,645. Likewise, Tinton Falls will give in-kind services up to $486,920, the agreed value of the Child Development Center, which Tinton Falls will use as an early elementary school.

The in-kind services will go toward sewer hook ups and road improvements to the property CommVault has agreed to purchase in Tinton Falls. According to the resolution, as the first property owner in the redevelopment CommVault will "require a higher amount of off-site improvements than subsequent developers." The three entities will make those improvements - with costs spread to each - to address the "disparity."