BRADLEY BEACH — Bradley Beach officials have received a cost estimate for demolition of the First United Methodist Church on LaReine Avenue and are moving onto appraisals in preparation for the sale of the borough-owned property.
These steps were announced by Mayor Larry Fox at the March 8 borough council meeting and follow months of discussions and debate amongst residents and council members over the fate of the vacated church site. It was purchased by the borough for $1.4 million in 2020 in an effort to block its sale to a developer who planned to raze the structure and build houses.
Mayor Fox has previously estimated that the fully-loaded purchase cost of the site to the borough, with maintenance conducted since acquisition, as closer to $2 million.
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While the mayor didn’t touch on the value of the property or the cost of razing the building, former council member Randy Bonnell, who works as a project manager in construction, estimated the cost of razing around $150,000 at a previous council meeting.
Mayor Fox said that the council is “very close” to having a complete analysis of the property, which will include a demolition project, an appraisal of the value of the site and an analysis of the value of subdividing the site into four conforming lots.
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