The Harbor Commission last night unanimously voted to reject the RFP offered for lease on the former Shore Casino and will more than likely submit a new RFP for consideration as soon as possible.
Following a 50 minute public hearing in which the Commission discussed both the RFP and the litigation on the State Police and SeaTow building near the harbor office, Finance chairman Michael Curry read a brief synopsis of the terms offered jointly by the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club and Sea Streak ferry for use of the former Shore Casino. Their proposal was the only one submitted in response to the RFP offered by the Commission in October.
Curry said the terms offered by the joint firms submitting the response offered a lease of $180,000 a year for ten years with an option to renew for five years, and also cited other issues that the Commission apparently did not find plausible.
The Shore Casino lease was approximately $20,000 a month or more than $200,000 annually , and the RFP had offered a proposal for a five year period.
Lease Committee Chairman Jim Krauss then offered a motion to reject the lease, a motion unanimously approved by voting members Alyson Forbes, Krauss, Curry and Chairman Thomas Wall . Harbor Commissioners Vito Colasurdo and Curtis Sawyer abstained from the vote, inasmuch as both are members of the Yacht Club.
“It was disappointing,” said Wall after the meeting. However, he pointed out Krauss and Sutton will work on modifying the RFP and anticipate having another proposal for the Commission to consider by the next meeting. Since it was a RFP proposal as opposed to a bid for the lease, there was no room for negotiations with the offer at this meeting.
The former 20,500 square foot Shore Casino, which has been a part of the Harbor for more than half a century, lost its lease two months ago and the facility has been vacant since that time. The Yacht Club remains as the upstairs tenant at the facility under terms of their own lease.
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The building involved in the lawsuit is occupied by the NJ State Police and TowBOAT U.S. – Sandy Hook. SeaTow is not a tenant of the harbor.
$180,00 a year vs nothing, no one else waiting in line to submit a proposal, and the proposal is rejected. Sounds about right.