Sewer connection fee still looms as work continues
'It would be a small miracle if we were open by May'
City officials have allowed the owners of the Asbury Park Festhalle and Biergarden to continue to work towards completion of their project at the corner of Lake Avenue and Press Plaza as long as they recognize they may still be responsible for an approximate $320,000 sewer connection fee.
Demolition work at the building site has been complete for more than seven weeks and while no physical work has been done to the structure since, beer garden owners continue to submit the required paperwork towards the completion of the project, according to Jennifer Lampert, a partner in the beer garden project.
As long as the owners are willing to recognize they may still be required to pay a sewer connection fee they can continue work “at their own peril,” said Anthony Nuccio, who was handling the issue up until Friday when his brief tenure as acting city manager came to an end.
The matter is a technical issue, according to city Attorney Frederick C. Raffetto.
Expansion or modification of the current sewer pipe to accommodate an increased flow and intensity of use would require the fee to be paid, Raffetto said.
As per the city’s request, beer garden owners have submitted copies of their proposed plumbing plan for the site and are awaiting word back, Lampert said.
Nuccio said the plans are under the review of the construction and engineering departments.
The unforeseen $400,000 fee was brought to Lampert’s attention after she submitted applications to begin work installing windows at the sight around Christmas. The fee was later reduced to $320,000.
It’s delayed the project by seven weeks.
“It would be a small miracle if we were open by May, and I think we’ve already lost June,” she said.
Nuccio is “a little more than 90 percent” that there will be a positive outcome to the situation, he said.
Everyone is being helpful and responsive and lines of communication remain open, but nothing has been provided to Lampert or her attorney in writing, she said.
“I wish they had a checklist of everything you needed [to open a new business] in Asbury,” she said. “Somebody has got to put this in writing so we can all just get together and drink beer.”
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