BARNEGAT – The Meadowedge Social Club, a group for adults with special needs and disabilities, has relocated to a new space. The move from Meadowedge Park to the Barnegat Firehouse on Birdsall Street initially came with strong resistance.
Transition can be difficult for anyone – and for people with special needs, change can be overwhelming. However, despite initial concerns, many of the club members had already adjusted well to the new location by its second week of operation.
Laughter and lively chatter buzzed around the tables where volunteers and staff members led games for the program participants. A welcoming committee of young women from the Meadowedge Social Club stood by the kitchen, eager to introduce themselves and offer guests refreshments.
Some of the members will still need time to adjust, including one man who put on headphones to drown out the sound of talking and people playing games. He had a hard time finding a spot in a corner of the room as the new social club meeting place is smaller and more confined.
Gabrielle Emanueli greets visitors at the new location. (Photo by Stephanie Faughnan)
Most were all smiles and engaged in meeting up with friends they enjoyed seeing on a regular basis.
The positive atmosphere particularly impressed Mayor Joseph Marte, who visited along with other Township Committee members. He was so struck by the energy, that he highlighted his experience during his remarks at the following Township Committee meeting.
“At the event, we witnessed firsthand the care, concern, compassion and love that Stacy (Fahringer) and Meredith (Jackstadt) and the volunteers working with these individuals exhibited,” said Marte. “They have truly touched our hearts.”
The mayor referred to the two coordinators of the program as exceptional individuals, who he called “angels in disguise.”
Marte credited Township Administrator Martin Lisella for recognizing the challenges faced by the conditions of the building and for locating an alternative site. Jackstadt and Fahringer, who run the program, were fully involved in making changes to the space that would best meet the needs of the Social Club. The renovations included updating the kitchen, stripping floors, painting, and modernizing restroom facilities.
The new bathrooms appealed to one social club member, Rikki Blood, who said she liked the new facilities because they were much bigger than the other place. Another member said she was grateful that the water no longer smelled “nasty.”
The local fire department’s leadership stepped up to play a pivotal role in facilitating the transition. Anthony Robinson, president of the Barnegat Fire Company, appeared on the scene of one of the meetings with a special treat for club members. Many were awestruck by the department’s big red fire truck and Robinson’s comments about it.
The room was set up for fun for members of the Meadowedge Social Club. (Photo by Stephanie Faughnan)
Jackstadt and Fahringer expressed their gratitude to all who helped keep the Meadowedge Social Club intact and set up with a new home.
Controversy Before The Move
The move was not without controversy, as some members of the club and their loved ones were apprehensive about leaving their familiar surroundings. They had no knowledge of what was going on behind the scenes as township officials said they first wanted to ensure they found a new space for the program without cause for alarm.
According to a March 30, 2022 email from Township Engineer Kurt Otto to the state, the building at Meadowedge was in serious disrepair, including roof leakage, mold, and electrical issues.
Meadowedge Park is a Green Acres property and all significant changes must be approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. When asked why he wrote that the building was unused in the letter, Otto said he knew that the township was looking for alternative sites to move the one program that met there.
“As far as spot mold, it was cleaned up when it was found,” assured Otto. “It just gets sprayed and cleaned up.”
Otto further explained that repairing and maintaining the building would be cost-prohibitive for the township.
A subsequent internal memo from Otto and Roger Budd, Township Water and Sewer Supervisor dated June 27, 2023 provided an outline of the issues with water and sanitary sewer service. At the time, local authorities were trying to figure out a way to keep the building intact so that the program could go uninterrupted. The costs at that time exceeded $100,000.
Anthony Robinson, president of the Barnegat Fire Company shows off a firetruck to Barnegat Social Club members. (Photo by Stephanie Faughnan)
During his remarks, the Barnegat mayor admitted there were other challenges with the building at Meadowedge than had originally been documented. Otto produced maps in an interview that demonstrated only half of the park was in a flood zone in January 2015. The latest flood zone maps show that the entirety of the park and the building is now in a flood zone.
What was once estimated at $100,000 was considered low once it was discovered that the building was in a flood zone. This would necessitate raising the utilities and installing features like a pump station, significantly increasing renovation costs. An elevator or a ramp would need to be added to ensure ADA access.
Otto, a certified floodplain manager, said he advised against investing heavily in a building that had so many challenges from the ground up.
Plans are to set up asbestos abatement at the site of the Meadowedge building and subsequently perform demolition with in-house staff. The property will ultimately be used for passive recreation.
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