MAST Denied Once Again
For the second time, the bid opening date for renovations to the disintegrating building on Fort Hancock to create an indoor drill area and classrooms for NJROTC cadets at MAST has been postponed, this time until February 7 at 1 p.m.
The legal advertisement announcing the cancellation of today’s previously scheduled opening did not indicate any reasons why. Nor did the business administrator at the Monmouth County Vocational School District respond to queries as to why the bidding was delayed again. By law, all revisions require another advertisement in local newspapers to announce the changes.
The advertisement, which was printed in the Asbury Park Press also noted the original bid opening date of January 17, required four clarifications, two corrections and four revisions, though no reason is given for why so many changes were necessary when the date was changed to January 24.
Kellenyi Johnson Wagner Associates of Red Bank is the architect for the renovation of Building 23, a former historic barracks at Fort Hancock on Gateway National Recreation Area. Plans for the reconstruction began four years ago and have been delayed several times since then. Currently, while several historic buildings at Fort Hancock provide classrooms and a dining area for the students at MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, the students, all of whom are NJROTC cadets, must conduct their drills and practices outdoors on Pershing Field. The new building would enable them to practice indoors in inclement weather, as well as provide office space for the NJROTC staff, classrooms and bathrooms and showers for the cadets.
Originally planned for reconstruction three years ago, all work was halted because of the return of a pair of ospreys to the nest they had inhabited in the past. The nest could not be disturbed while ospreys were nesting so no work was done and the building continued to deteriorate.
When bids were announced again this year, the bid opening date was January 17, then changed to January 24 with actual work scheduled to start March 20 and be completed in 420 days. That would have put construction in a contest with returning ospreys, who usually return in mid to late March. Moving the date once again to the now scheduled February 7 assumably delays all other dates. That means if the February 7 date is kept as advertised, and if the same time schedule is being followed, work is scheduled to begin another 21 days later, which would put mobilizing on site on April 11, long after the ospreys return to the New Jersey shore.
In the meantime, neither the architect, the Monmouth County Vocational School Board of Education nor the National Park Service responded to any question as to why the nest cannot simply be removed any time before the ospreys are expected back from migration. Nor have any of the principals involved responded to queries why it is so necessary to protect the nest now, with plans approved and contracts signed to renovate the building which includes removing the nest so work can proceed.
Disgraceful
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