Longport Police Chief Frank Culmone.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
LONGPORT – Police Chief Frank Culmone recently completed the NJ Certified Public Manager program, a nationally accredited program that develops public and nonprofit managers, administrators and organizational leaders.
The program is administered by the NJ Civil Service Commission through Rutgers University Newark’s School of Public Affairs and Administration and is designed to provide participants with the knowledge needed to more effectively manage day-to-day operations and tackle complex organizational challenges.
“The CPM is an interactive program where, through collaboration, students problem solve issues integral to public administration, but in a controlled environment,” he said in a release. “The Longport Police Department prides itself on providing its officers with continue professional education relevant to their job specifications and role within the department.”
The curriculum was developed to meet the complex demands and challenges of public management in the 21st century.
Culmone completed 21 courses over a 10-month period and was required to complete a 50-hour capstone project that benefits the borough.
In his capstone, Culmone examined various options for the aging Borough Hall building, which originally served as the Betty Bacharach Home for Afflicted Children. It was purchased by the borough in 1989 and put into use as a municipal building. The Police Department is located in the rear of the building, the first floor of which is below current flood elevation and is located directly adjacent to the bay. Flood insurance for the nearly 20,000-square-foot building is about $30,000 a year, he said.
He conducted an analysis of the money spent over the last 11 years to rehabilitate portions of the building, including mold remediation, roof and window replacement, raising HVAC and utilities above flood level, and the future needs of the building.
He considered various scenarios, such as if the building should be remodeled, rebuilt or if the borough should lease space or repurpose a building elsewhere to conduct borough business.
Culmone’s capstone concluded that two of the options – leasing elsewhere and repurposing another building – are not available within the borough, and recommended the governing body take a holistic approach and hire a consultant and/or architectural firm to fully investigate the costs of remodeling versus rebuilding.
The the Board of Commissioners in January established an ad hoc committee comprised of 20 residents to review options for the building, but the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed their progress.
Longport Borough Hall
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