Byram takes next steps in municipal building plan

By Mandy Coriston
Byram - The need for a new municipal building in Byram has been the subject of conversation for several years now, and for the last eight months, the Municipal Building Subcommittee, consisting of residents, business owners, township employees, and governmental leadership, has met routinely to assess available sites and to discuss departmental requirements.
After “field trips” to view other municipal complexes, a visit from Fred Braun, the contractor who built the “shell” roof over the rear trailer segment of the current municipal building, and the interviewing of nearly a dozen firms who submitted bids for the next phase of the project, it was announced on Tuesday evening, Dec. 4, that the Township Council is retaining the services of the Nader Group, LLC, an architectural and engineering firm based in Hackettstown.
The firm, headed by Wassim Nader, has outlined a four-part scope of services to be conducted over the course of the winter. According to a memo released by the Town Council, step one was an initial “kick-off” discussion. The subcommittee conferred with them the following evening, Dec. 5. Over the course of the two hour meeting, attention was given to a wide range of design considerations from personnel needs to storage, parking to energy efficiency. A good portion of the conversation focused on cost analysis and finding a balance between the construction costs and the burden to Byram taxpayers.
Step two will be a comprehensive review of all the available, existing data on the current building and the possible alternative sites. The firm will perform an independent analysis as the final step, and will assemble its findings along with design concepts as the step four, before a final presentation meeting. The firm and its principals will work closely with the subcommittee, township employees, and the council will provide regular progress reports.
“We want to hit the ground running,” Wassir Nadir told the subcommittee. "And the ability to be open and get feedback will help us stay within the framework of a 90-day timeline.”
Byram Mayor Alex Rubenstein noted the Nader Group’s reputation as an out-of-the-box design house will be a strong asset to what the township is trying to achieve.
“We don’t want to do what everyone else is doing, just because that’s the way it’s always been done," Rubenstein said.
Byram residents are encouraged to attend the Municipal Building Subcommittee meetings, which along with the regular Township Council meetings, are open to the public. The subcommittee will next meet at 7 p.m. on Wed., Jan. 9, 2019.