"If the downtown of Phillipsburg is not revitalized, the entire town will suffer," says the head of the downtown association.
Things will be great when you're downtown. So says the song and a business advocacy group that is planning a petition effort to pressure the Phillipsburg town council into moving the municipal offices there.
"If the downtown of Phillipsburg is not revitalized, the entire town will suffer," said Bill Slack, president of the Phillipsburg Downtown Association.
Town officials have been weighing their options since potentially hazardous mold was found early this year in sections of the municipal building. Council meetings and municipal court hearings have been moved as a result.
3 options for P'burg town hall
Cleaning out the mold would cost $1.7 million, according to a contracted study that blamed the presence of the fungus on condensation from the air system.
Council has considered a downtown move. One site favored early on by Mayor Stephen Ellis -- the former Elks building on South Main Street -- has an asking price of $1.28 million. Officials also planned to tour a recently vacated dentist office, according to WFMZ.
But the option now being examined by council is building a new municipal complex at the former armory on Heckman Street.
Mold has been found at the Phillipsburg municipal building, 675 Corliss Ave., and could force the town offices to move. (Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com file photo) Slack and the downtown association say they feel there is only one choice.
"Let's say we are trying to entice a business owner to move into the downtown," Slack wrote in prepared remarks before a recent council meeting. "Could his response not be: 'Not even your own town offices would move down there!'"
In a recent email chain, association members offered feedback on the language and phrasing of the petition. There was no immediate estimation when the petition would begin collecting signatures.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.