After 16 years, Denville makes final payment on $13.5M loan that funded new town hall

William Westhoven, Morristown Daily Record
·2 min read

Denville took a big step in its goal to be debt-free by 2030 after making a final $1.2 million payment on a 2007 county bond to fund the construction of a new town hall and police station

Mayor Tom Andes presented an oversized ceremonial check to Morris County Commissioner Director John Krickus to mark the occasion during a council meeting on Sept. 16.

The Morris County Improvement Authority held the bond on Town Hall. Construction began under former Mayor Gene Feyl’s administration. The $13.5 million loan also funded the conversion of the township's existing debt (bond anticipation notes) from the previous three years into permanent financing, Denville Business Administrator Steven Ward said.

The Denville Municipal Building, with the police station in the foreground.
The Denville Municipal Building, with the police station in the foreground.

Andes explained that Denville had no real town hall for the first 40 years of its existence after splitting from Rockaway and incorporating in 1913. After the original Main Street Firehouse was built in 1927, council meetings were held there until 1963, when the township accepted a proposal to buy the firehouse for $1 to house fire, police and municipal offices.

In 1973, Denville purchased the second St Mary’s School on St Mary’s Place, moved its municipal offices and police into the building and built a new firehouse on Indian Road.

"The former school building served the township well for over 30 years, but in the early 2000s the structure that was built to be a school, not a municipal office, was deteriorating rapidly," Andes wrote in a statement announcing the payment.

Andes was council president when the deal was made in 2007.

Mayor Tom Andes, middle left, and Morris County Commissioner John Krickus hold a ceremonial check representing the final $1.2 million payment from Denville to the Morris County Improvement Authority on a $13.5 million bond issued in 2007 to fund construction of a new municipal building,
Mayor Tom Andes, middle left, and Morris County Commissioner John Krickus hold a ceremonial check representing the final $1.2 million payment from Denville to the Morris County Improvement Authority on a $13.5 million bond issued in 2007 to fund construction of a new municipal building,

Feyl went on to serve as a Morris County freeholder (now commissioner) and a two-year term as executive director of the New Jersey Highlands Council from 2012 to 2014. He was appointed to the Highlands Council by former Gov. Chris Christie, also a former Morris freeholder.

"Our government grew in the first 100 years of our history and this building was designed for more growth," Andes stated. "Soon after the building opened,advances in technology, shared services and the implementation of leaner management principals enabled reductions in our staff. This opened up space allowing for our Board of Education to move their offices into this building, which eliminated their need for the BOE to rent office space, thus saving taxpayers money."

The Morris County Improvement Authority operates as an autonomous independent agency promoting economic development in part by providing financial assistance to local governments, nonprofit corporations and private entities. Five commissioners appointed by the Morris County Board of County Commissioners oversee operations.

More information, including project funding applications, can be found on the MCIA website.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Denville NJ pays off Morris County loan funding town hall