Belmar First Aid Building In Process To Be Sold To Homebuilder

BELMAR, NJ – After a summer-long process that saw the Borough of Belmar approve, then repeal an ordinance giving the town eminent domain privilege in acquiring the former Belmar First Aid Squad(BFAS) property, the BFAS is in the process of selling the property to a local homebuilder.

According to Kenneth Pringle, the attorney for the BFAS, a deal was struck last week with Jackson-based Down to Earth Construction.

The company was the original winning bidder for the property back during the bid process in June but backed off once they knew that the borough was willing to use eminent domain to acquire the property, which was approved but then repealed almost a month later.

In response to the plans for the possible use of eminent domain by the borough, Pringle advised the BFAS to hire an engineering firm to sub-divide the property into three lots, which they were in the process of when Down to Earth Construction reached out again.

“My office was preparing to file that subdivisions application when Mr. Merkler(Bill Merkler, president of Down to Earth) contacted us,” Pringle said via email.

“After some brief negotiations with Mr. Merkler, which included raising the sale price to $1.6 million, the BFAS reached an agreement on the terms of the sale with Down to Earth.”

According to Pringle, the price increase was agreed upon to reflect better what the BFAS believes would have been the high bid if other possible bidders weren’t scared off by the borough council’s threat of eminent domain.

Once the agreement is finalized, the BFAS will give Down to Earth the sub-division plans that it started working on, keeping in line with the deed restriction placed into the contract that nothing can be built on the property except for single-family homes. In addition, Down to Earth agreed to preserve the building cornerstone and historical plaque, along with the monument rock.

“The Board and Life Members of the BFAS are very pleased that the property will be returned to the single-family residential character it had when the BFAS received the first lot as a gift in 1929,” Pringle said.

“They are also happy they will soon be able to proceed with the process of creating a plan of dissolution of the BFAS and for the distribution of its cash assets to charities for the benefit of Belmar residents.”

A phone call and e-mail were placed to Belmar mayor Mark Walsifer for comment but weren’t returned at the time of publishing.