BRADLEY BEACH — The borough council last week awarded a $380,000 contract to TTL Services LLC to raze the borough-owned, century-old church at 319 LaReine Ave.
Officials hope to complete the demolition of the church prior to Memorial Day weekend, after valuable, historic church artifacts are sold in an April 30 auction and removed from the vacant structure, Councilman Paul Nowicki revealed at the April 15 council meeting.
According to the award resolution, the borough received six bids from contractors to perform the demolition services and awarded the bid to the lowest bidder, TTL Services of Ridgewood.
In the years since its purchase for $1.2 million, the borough council and some residents have been at odds over the fate of the vacant, Queen Anne-style church, and ultimately the council last year took the first steps leading to the demolition.
In 2015, First United Methodist Church discontinued its services and in 2019, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association informed the borough of Bradley Beach it would sell the 319 LaReine Ave. property with the right of first refusal, which gave purchase priority to the borough with the hope of preservation. The council then voted to purchase the property in February 2020.
The borough is said to have invested “roughly $2 million” into the purchase and subsequent upkeeping of the vacant property including engineering and architectural studies and weather-proofing the building, among other expenses, Mayor Al Gubitiosi said.
Following a residents’ movement aimed at saving the church, a townwide referendum on the 2022 election ballot asked voters, “Should the Borough of Bradley Beach renovate its borough-owned real property and currently vacant structure located at 319 LaReine Ave. (Block 41 Lot 1) in order to create a Municipal Community Center at an estimated cost of $10 million?”
The residents of Bradley Beach voted an overwhelming 76.7% against the $10 million renovation of the church property, leading some residents to question the legitimacy of the pricey estimate – one of whom is Paul Neshamkin, president of the Bradley Beach Historical Society.
Neshamkin told The Coast Star, “The fact of the matter is it never would have cost the town that kind of money…They made it impossible. They were not interested in trying to save this building.”
Neshamkin also led Friends of the Bradley Beach Community Center, an organization founded to support the conversion of the church into a community center, alongside other like-minded residents focused on restoring the property to serve the community as it once did. In 1927, after adding a gymnasium to the existing structure, Neshamkin said, the property served as a recreational community hub for Bradley Beach residents whether they were Methodist parishioners or not.
“It’s really very sad. The people coming to the auction are going to see the inside of the sanctuary and the inside of Shepards Hall. They are going to say, ‘Oh my God, why are we losing this?’ This building could have continued to serve our community,” Neshamkin said.
Last September, under then-Mayor Larry Fox’s administration, the council unanimously settled on demolishing the structure and passed a resolution to advertise for the bids. After a series of hiccups tied to the lack of a grading plan and the disbursement of the artifacts within the church, the council resubmitted demolition plans that were overseen by CME Associates, the borough’s engineering firm. The council also organized an open public auction of items inside the church, inviting Bradley Beach residents to hop on the auction block and bring home a piece of town history.
According to Gubitosi, the borough’s plan remains to properly demolish the property, subdivide the lot into four separate conforming lots and sell them individually, with the hopes of leftover proceeds clearing at least $1 million for Bradley Beach.
ARTIFACT AUCTION
At 1 p.m. on April 30, a public auction of artifacts will be conducted by Peter Costanzo Auctioneers.
Church furniture, architectural features, religious art, musical instruments, stained glass windows, pews, thrones, doors, a chandelier, religious pictures and a pulpit are among the items on the bill for the auction.
Online pre-bidding is set to begin on Wednesday, April 23, and will be open until noon on the day of auction. There will be both a live, in-person auction at the church and an online auction that can be accessed on the auctioneer’s website.
On-site previews showcasing the artifacts and items slated to be auctioned off will be held on April 24, from 10 a.m. to noon; April 26, from 9 a.m. to noon; April 29, from 10 a.m. to noon; and on the morning of sale preview and registration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
All items will be sold to the highest bidder, and there will be no minimums or reserves. The artifacts include items with appraised value up to $1,600.
According to the auctioneer’s proposal, awarded via resolution at the borough council’s meeting on March 18, a 15% commission will be charged on the gross auction proceeds, with a minimum of $2000.
“Rarely are we asked to sell religious and spiritual items. This building is scheduled to be demolished. However, Bradley Beach wishes to give residents and the general public an opportunity to own some of these unique items,” an auctioneer’s note read.
The proposal lists an assortment of items slated to be donated free of charge including a claw foot table, an organ, remaining stained glass items, the main altar and a large lectern, to name a few. With under a week until the auction, Neshamkin said the historical society hasn’t been contacted by the borough regarding which items will be retained and added to the society’s collection, expressing concern about the auction and donation process, notably with the removal of the larger stained glass windows.
A note from the auctioneer states, “A purchase may be cancelled if determined that removal creates an unsafe or difficult prolonged condition.”
Pick-up and removal of items will be conducted following the auction on May 1 and May 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to the auctioneer, the removal of larger items including high windows, the organ and a large glass room divider may be extended to May 12 at the latest through arrangement and appointment with the borough.
The catalog of items set to be up for sale can be viewed online, as well as additional information about the auction, at petercostanzoauctioneers.com/first-united-methodist-church/
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