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SAYREVILLE, NJ — Sayreville’s 1909 Town Hall and firehouse building is officially a local historic site, but questions over how the borough is handling the aging building dominated discussion at Monday night’s Borough Council meeting.

The council approved Resolution 2026-216 on Aug. 17, formally giving the building the historic designation. Before the vote, however, residents and officials debated everything from the wording of the resolution to discarded safes, damaged windows and what will eventually happen inside the building.

One Word Quickly Became A Big Deal

Resident Frank Turzino questioned language in the resolution stating that the borough was in the process of “renovating” the building.

Turzino argued that the word should instead be “preservation,” matching the language used when voters approved a referendum concerning the building.

“The referendum says preservation,” Turzino said. “I think that’s the wrong word, and I think it’s open to a whole bunch of interpretations. We like to have it keep it consistent.”

Borough Attorney Joseph Sordillo said the distinction was largely a matter of wording from a legal standpoint, but the council could make the change.

Council President John Zebrowski ultimately moved to approve the resolution with “renovation” changed to “preservation.”

Zebrowski also thanked the Sayreville Historical Society for its involvement and what he described as “very good and frank discussions over the last several months.”

What Happened To Pieces Of The Old Building?

The conversation then shifted from the resolution itself to what has already happened inside the historic building.

Resident Arthur Rittenhouse questioned the removal of several items during the building’s cleanout, including old safes and portions of its tin ceilings.

“As far as the safes are concerned, the safes were of historic value to the building,” Rittenhouse said.

He said the safes had appeared on an inventory list previously provided by Turzino and questioned why they were discarded.

Resident Ken Olszewski also asked why the safes were thrown away without first determining whether they had value.

Sordillo explained that borough property determined to have value would be subject to requirements governing its sale, while property without a determined value can be disposed of.

Business Administrator Glenn Skarzynski said the safes were treated as part of the material being removed from the building.

“The way I look at it, it was part of the construction debris that had to be removed out of that building,” Skarzynski said.

“Doesn’t make sense to me,” Olszewski responded.

Historical Society Raises Concerns

Sayreville Historical Society President Heather Unoni also questioned language in the historic designation dealing with work already underway at the building.

“This wording has absolutely no place in a historical designation ordinance,” Unoni said. “Mixing building code disputes and ongoing renovation management into a historical preservation framework undermines the integrity of the designation itself.”

Unoni said combining those issues could also create questions among residents about transparency surrounding the project.

Questions were also raised about whether the restored building would eventually contain borough offices.

Skarzynski said the plan is to provide proper office space for borough employees who have worked out of temporary office trailers for decades.

Before construction can move forward, officials said the final design must still be approved and the project would then need to go out to bid.

Officials Discuss Damage And Aging Windows

The condition of the more than century-old building was another focus of the discussion.

Councilwoman Mary Novak asked about preventing additional water from entering an area where damage had occurred. Skarzynski said a structural engineer examined the damage and an interim repair plan was sent to the contractor responsible for it.

Councilman Stanley Synarski said he regularly checks on the building and expressed concern about its aging windows.

“There are 29 windows in that building. Eleven of those 29 are damaged, and they have wood surrounding the windows,” Synarski said.

He said he believes additional windows could also be allowing water into the building, noting their age.

Turzino said attempts had been made more than 20 years ago to replace the building’s windows and doors.

“It was neglect on whoever was sitting here at the time,” Turzino said.

Historical Society Will Get A Seat At The Table

As the discussion came to a close, Councilman Alberto Rios asked whether the Sayreville Historical Society would have direct involvement as plans for the building move forward.

Skarzynski said it would.

At Zebrowski’s direction, Skarzynski said meetings would be arranged involving the Historical Society, architect and engineer.

“They will have a seat at the table for all of the subsequent meetings up until the time where we get the project formulated and brought before the council for final approval,” Skarzynski said.

While the historic designation is now official, the final plans for preserving and using the 1909 building have not yet received council approval.

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