The Ocean County Board of Commissioners introduced a funding ordinance, seeking to appropriate $92 million for the permitting and construction of an addition to the Ocean County Justice Complex. The four-story annex is slated to add 124,214 square feet of floor space to the existing justice complex and will be constructed on the current parking lot between the Ocean County Jail and the campus of Toms River High School South on Hooper Avenue.
The Asbury Park Press noted that the estimated cost of the project has seen an alarming 84% increase since it was initially proposed three years ago, surging from $50 million in 2020 to $70 million in 2022, and now reaching $92 million in 2023, even before any construction has commenced.
Board members have attributed the rising costs to a combination of factors, including inflation, international supply chain disruptions, engineering challenges, and soil contamination at the designated construction site.
Separately, $250,000 is expected to be allocated for the design of a standalone building that will serve as the new headquarters for the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, though construction for that building won’t begin until 2025 or 2026, around the time that Justice Complex is expected to be completed.
Absurdity is an understatement.
If it were private funds, it would cost tens of millions less.
Follow the money!
Carefully!
Don’t blink!
I smell cheese from Denmark and it’s rotten!