‘It just makes no sense’ – Fits, starts on police, DPW HQs

BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS

Township Of Washington

Mayor Peter Calamari told concerned Township Council members Aug. 14 that he would rather wait for two months to see what design options that architect Arcari Iovino comes up with for new police department space before going ahead with the planned $5 million new DPW building.

At the July meeting, the architect had recommended possibly co-housing police and public works operations in the new DPW facility, at an estimated $8.5 million cost, versus substantially less for onsite Town Hall police space renovations and expansion.

Several council members, including Tom Sears, cited a Pascack Press article that quoted Administrator Mark DiCarlo saying that no bid specs for a new DPW building would be issued until a final design was approved for new police department space. He wondered who granted DiCarlo the authority to make that decision.

Members questioned DiCarlo over why he made that statement and DiCarlo said that the council made no decision at a previous July meeting where architect Arcari Iovino presented several options for the council to choose from related to a reconfigured space for the police department, or a combined DPW–police department facility.

The architect was told by