New Rescue Squad's Location, Size on BOT Agenda

The South Orange Board of Trustees on Monday will choose one of two locations to construct a new Rescue Squad building, and will consider constructing a larger facility that would roughly double the size of the current squad building.

The larger building would also house an attached 40-bed emergency shelter and community room space with emergency backup power, Village President Alex Torpey said. Such a building would “[improve] emergency sheltering options in South Orange,” said Torpey, who serves as the Office of Emergency Management Coordinator and is a volunteer squad member.

The proposed locations are a lot on 2nd Street, and one on Sloan Street adjacent to the fire house. Both sites are owned by the village.

“We have all agreed we need a new location—the issue is which location will work best as well as the overall size and budget,” Trustee Mark Rosner said. “On Monday night, the goal is to agree to move forward with the project at 3rd and Valley while we finalize which location we will use.”

The South Orange Rescue Squad, which provides volunteer emergency medical services to South Orange residents and nearby towns, is a non-profit corporation funded by donations. The squad is being displaced as a result of the multi-story, mixed-use building being developed by Jonathan Rose LLC at the corner of 3rd Street and Valley Road.  As part of its agreement with the village, the developer is funding the relocation.

In a blog posted on South Orange Patch, former trustee Michael Goldberg said the BOT only learned in April that the village was considering relocating the squad to 2nd Street and potentially doubling its size.

“Since this proposal was shared for the purpose of discussing the financial terms of the proposed development and 3rd/Valley, no discussion was held by the BOT about the Rescue Squad project,” Goldberg wrote in the blog.

"The trustees were all briefed and participated in several discussions regarding this project prior to April, including a discussion in March in executive session that every former trustee, minus Janine Bauer, was present for," said Torpey in a statement to Patch. "Additionally, Mr. Goldberg personally received a copy of the proposed floor plans and concept sketches after inquiring about them in an email on March 5th, which detailed the exact proposed size and scope of the project."

Trustee Sheena Collum said after hearing input from the township’s Development Committee that the 2nd Street site could hinder future development, and after lengthy discussion at recent trustee meetings and Planning and Zoning Committee meetings, the village has decided to revisit the viability of the Sloan Street location.

“Ultimately, this site can meet the requirements of the rescue squad,” said Collum.  She continued, “Both locations can meet the needs of a new rescue squad facility.”

Torpey agreed. “Each location provides the core functions that the [squad] needs, with several smaller pros/cons for each of two possible sites,” he said. “I will provide a detailed memo to the Board (and public) with a full risk analysis and cost/benefit analysis of the various options that exist,” Torpey said.

Responding to Goldberg’s blog, Torpey, cited his own several years of experience and training in the field of Emergency Management and his recent completion of a Masters in Public Administration and Emergency Management.

From examining dozens of disaster scenarios, Torpey said he “learned that many of these disasters were partially caused, or at least exacerbated by sometimes well intentioned, but simple minded and arrogant politicians who made decisions based off whatever they personally wanted to do or whatever they thought would be popular at that exact moment, rather than actually studying the issue, consulting experts and choosing the most pragmatic and risk-mitigating option that protects peoples lives and safety in the long-term.” 

He continued, “Fortunately for our community, we have no elected officials in South Orange like that right now, and I have full faith in our current Board of Trustees to explore, discuss and thoughtfully consider all of the options available before making a decision when it comes to how to best provide life safety resources during emergencies for our residents.”

This article has been updated to clarify when the BOT learned details about proposed new building plans.