Middlesex County buys Old Bridge land for $2M Repubs say Dems arranged deal to fill gap in budget BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer "We're getting a facility that's going to aid our residents. There are many people who need that type of facility and that type of service." - Kevin Calogera Councilman OLD BRIDGE- Middlesex County officials are one step closer to building a 180-bed extended-care facility on a portion of the Crossroads redevelopment tract. The Township Council voted recently to approve the sale of 14.8 acres to the county for $2 million. "I think it's something that we can do, and something that we should do," council President Pat Gillespie said. The nursing facility will offer treatment to all county residents, regardless of their ability to pay, according to officials. It will also allow for the remaining 180 patients at the old Roosevelt Care Center in Edison to be moved from the aging structure, which is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of its current population, according to Middlesex County Freeholders Director David B. Crabiel. The new care center will be modeled after the Edison facility. "We're getting a facility that's going to aid our residents," Old Bridge Councilman Kevin Calogera said at the Dec. 10 meeting. "There are many people who need that type of facility and that type of service." "The county is buying land in Old Bridge for $2 million, and isn't it a coincidence that we're short in our budget $2 million?" - Lucille Panos Councilwoman Councilman Richard Greene and Councilwoman Lucille Panos, the lone Republicans on the council, voted against the sale. Both voiced opposition to the project, and accused other township officials of having ulterior motives for proceeding with it. "Things aren't always what they seem on the surface, and that's what this is," Greene said. "I think it's all about making a deal with the county to get $2 million to close the [municipal] budget. I believe in this type of facility, but I think this is the wrong location. Is there a need?Maybe not. But I think certainly, there was a need to close the budget." Greene went on to say that individuals involved in all aspects of the project are politically connected. Mayor Jim Phillips, who also serves as Middlesex County treasurer, recused himself from the proceedings. Council Vice President Bill Baker said that when officials are elected, it is their duty to look out for what is best for residents. He then pointed out that Greene was not elected in his bid for mayor in November. "I'll take the tax break of $2 million," Baker said. "It's clear that my vision is different from the Republican Party of Old Bridge." Township officials agreed to the sale price of $2,010,750 after reviewing appraisals conducted by both the county and the Old Bridge RedevelopmentAgency, according to Township Business Administrator Mike Jacobs. Panos criticized the land sale, saying the town should get its money's worth for the parcel. "The county is buying land in Old Bridge for $2 million, and isn't it a coincidence that we're short in our budget $2 million?" Panos said. Gillespie said the dollar amount for the land should not be minimized. "More than one appraiser said it's the fair market value for that property," Gillespie said. "I do think we have an obligation to this population. I do think that we as a society, we as a town, should work with the county in trying to fill this need." Panos expressed concern for the general population of the town, saying that facilities like Maher Manor and the Chuck Costello Housing Complex are evidence that the town does what it can to provide relief for those who need it. "We're the vulnerable ones," Panos said. "We are the most vulnerable in our society when the town starts doing things like that." The township is slated to enter into a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement with the county, which would set a predetermined tax rate for the property, another aspect of the project Panos took issue with. Gillespie pointed out that if any type of residential development were to have taken place on the property, it would generate traffic, as well as a demand for municipal services such as police and first aid. This project, he said, will also bring quality jobs to the township. "On a project that size, I don't think that's something we should minimize," Gillespie said. While Gillespie speaks about preserving open space, Panos said, his support of the project did not reflect his words. "It happens to be, as resident [Brian] Adams said, probably the best piece of land of the 500 acres [that make up the Crossroads tract], because of the elevation," Greene said. "You can't make land. Whatever we have, you sell it, it's gone." County officials are hoping to break ground on the care center by spring 2008 and complete the project sometime in 2009, according to Crabiel.