By Christopher Sheldon
The Fort Monmouth Fitness Center will soon be on the open market.
The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) unanimously voted to make the property, located in the Oceanport Reuse area of the fort, available to potential developers through its request for offers to purchase (RFOTP) process at Wednesday night's board meeting.
The fitness center is a 32,250-square-foot facility built in 1952 which contains a 25-yard pool, a hardwood basketball court, racket ball courts and several weight and fitness rooms. The property also includes a water tower, sewage lift station and a New Jersey Natural gas facility.
The reuse plan for the fort adopted several years ago calls for the building to maintain its original use, so potential developers would likely include those who would like to restore it as a fitness center.
The RFOTP issued earlier this year for the fort's Parcel B, a 55-acre tract located along Route 35 in Eatontown, suggests that the large sports bubble located on that property should be moved to the fitness center.
Oceanport Mayor Michael Mahon suggested that if this occurs, a reuse plan change would need to be adopted by the FMERA board.
If the sports bubble does not become part of the fitness center, it would either be sold to another entity or demolished.
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