80% Of Money For Court Relocation Already In Place, Says Mayor

Mayor Joseph M. Polisena announced this week that about 80 percent of the money needed to renovate the former site of is already budgeted.

Following the of the new 12,000-square-foot home for Mohr, the brick building on Atwood Avenue that housed the library for nearly 50 years is scheduled to be renovated to accomodate the town's .

During a recent interview at Town Hall, Polisena said that because Court Clerk Joseph Tedino and town staffers are doing the work, the expected $250,000 cost will be for materials — and added that the town will make that money back because it will no longer be leasing a storefront for the court.

According to the current town budget, the Municipal Court is expected to collect $650,000 in fines through the end of fiscal 2011.

"I have kind of an old-fashioned way of looking at it," explained Polisena, who added the lease costs the town about $36,000 a year. "Why rent when you can own?"

The mayor also explained that the town's capital improvement budget stands at about $201,000 for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Anticipating that the court will open in November, Polisena said he plans to see how the town can raise the rest of the money, about $49,000, in fiscal 2012.

"If we have to go to the bank to borrow that money, we'll do that, because we'll make the money back," he said, "and I think any reasonable taxpayer would say, 'You know what? He's right — let's invest $250,000 in our own building.'"