Lavallette Lifeguard HQ Closure Could Linger Into Summer

Lavallette lifeguard headquarters. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Remediating mold at the Lavallette lifeguard headquarters building would not take an extraordinary long while to complete, but deciding who is responsible for funding the cleanup could keep the building shuttered for some time.

While not yet in litigation, the borough is still weighing its options after the Philadelphia Avenue building, completed last year, was found to be filled with mold. 

The contractor that performed the work, as well as the architect and engineer behind the project were all “put on notice,” Mayor Walter LaCicero said in December. Thus far, no lawsuit has been filed, said Borough Administrator John O. Bennett.

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“The players have all had the opportunity to go in and look at it, and now the next step is to see what solutions we can get to,” said Bennett. “It’s in the hands of the attorney now.”

“I will have a place for the lifeguards to go next season,” said Bennett. “Whether it’s there or not, I don’t know yet.”

After the previous lifeguard headquarters was destroyed in Superstorm Sandy, the borough rented trailers and relied on the generosity of neighbors to provide some help for the guards. Bennett said more information would be forthcoming on the issue at an upcoming council meeting.