After a year of uncertainty, the Lavallette lifeguard headquarters building, completed last season, will be ready for this beach season, officials said.
The building was completed mid-summer last year, but almost immediately began showing signs of mold intrusion and similar issues. Throughout the winter, Lavallette negotiated with various contractors who worked on the project, eventually working out a deal where each would pay a portion of the remediation costs. There was a question as to whether the building would be open by the time the borough’s beach season, which began last weekend.
“It is complete, it is open and it’s ready for business,” said Mayor Walter LaCicero. “It is completely remediated from mold.”
The borough was able to speed up the process of getting the building in shape by utilizing crews from its own Public Works department, which also saved $25,000, Borough Administrator John O. Bennett said.
“A lot of it was due to [public works],” said Council President Anita Zalom, as to how the building opened on time. “It looks beautiful.”