The Asbury Park Press - April 4, 2004 - Officials to tour a deteriorated Camp Evans
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The Asbury Park Press
  April 4, 2004

By  Dan Kaplan
Page B1 cont. B4
 evans logo

Army to assess facility's condition

By Dan Kaplan

Coastal Monmouth Bureau   

     Army officials have agreed towalk the grounds of CampEvans in Wall later this month todocument building conditions andpotential health hazards at the 217-acre former military radar research facility.

      The decision to tourthe camp off Route 18 came as military and township officials met last Thursday to discussthe transfer status of approximately 140,000 square feet of buildings on 37 acres the township agreed to accept in 1995, Township Attorney Roger McLaughlin said.

      With the Army still engaged in a $25 million environmental cleanup of
 soil on the site, which officially closed in the late 1990s, the buildings have yet to be turned over. Now, most of them are in such ramshackle condition that the townshipis worried whether the structuresare usable even for a planned information and science learning centerat the site.

     But following Thursday's meeting, township officials said they are hopeful the Army will bear responsibility for the buildings' conditions. Members of the Army's Base Realignment and Closure Office and theArmy Corps of Engineers,along with township engineers and environmental consultants, will walk the site, Fort Monmouth spokeman Henry Kearney said.
See Camp, Page B4




Peeling paint has caused a potential environmental hazard at one of the buildings at Camp Evans in Wall.

(STAFF PHOTO: MICHAEL 1. TREOLA)

(web editor note: In September 2005 this building was transfered
to see improvements made to this building by InfoAge volunteers  click here )

Camp

FROM PAGE B1

"We had a very productive meeting," McLaughlin said. "They (Army officials) have agreed to come back here and have another look at the build­ings so they could see for themselves the substantial de­terioration that has occurred."

Military and municipal offi­cials agree the buildings be­came dilapidated during the past few winters after power was cut to them during a sewer removal project. Now the buildings are peeling lead-based paint and may contain asbestos and mold, McLaugh­lin said.

"We don't feel that we should be responsible to make them usable," he said. "They seem to be open to taking re­sponsibility, and we thought that was really positive."

Kearney said the Army is committed to addressing any health problems that may exist in the buildings.

"The intent is to convey the property to Wall Township," he said. "We're going to assess and address the issues."

However, "We are . . . obli­gated to obtain the best value for the property if public con­veyance is not possible," said Timothy Rider, another Fort Monmouth spokesman.

The main structural flaws exist in the H-buildings, named for their shape, which were built around the start of World War II.  Plans are to con­vert the approximately 100,000 square feet of space into the In­foage Science-History Center, which would be run by 49-year-old township resident Fred Carl and would detail the history of Camp Evans through artifacts and exhibits.

Near the H-buildings is the 90-year-old, 12,000-square-foot Marconi Hotel, a former room­ing house, which still is in good condition, Carl said.

Another point of contention between both sides centers on the installation of the sewers,

which were dug out of the ground after cleanup crews discovered mercury contami­nation. Township officials said the sewers need to be replaced before the site can be opened to the public.

Under a 2001 memorandum of agreement, new pipes were to be installed by April 1, 2003.

The Army on Monday awarded a $280,000 contract for

Wall township officials said they are hopeful the Army will bear responsibil­ity for the condition of the Camp Evans buildings, which will be used as an information and science learning center.


the installation of the sewers, Kearney said. Work first will bring sewers to the Marconi Hotel by May 15.  Pipes will not be installed at the H-buildings until the township formally ac­cepts the buildings, he said.

Loretta Charbonneau, aide to Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J., whose district includes Camp Evans, said the con­gressman was happy to see Wall and Army officials work­ing together.

"There is good team play that is currently evolving," she said. "Working with the town­ship is part of the stewardship that is exactly what's neces­sary, and it will enable the Army to restore those build­ings to good condition prior to transfer to Wall Township."





Page updated January 11, 2007  page created January 11, 2007



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