BRICK – The township has begun fining the operator of a school that opened up in a former temple because they did not get the proper clearances and inspections.
Temple Beth Or, on Van Zile Road, closed earlier this year and was sold. With a declining congregation, the group was having trouble maintaining the large site.
Township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin said that when a property changes in use, such as going from a temple to a school, they have to go through the township’s Planning Board.
An earlier article by The Brick Times stated that they had not made an application, based on a July 27 email to this paper from the township.
The township has been told by the property’s owner that the building is being rented to someone who is using it as a boy’s school, Bergin said.
There have been violation notices, which includes a fine up to $2,000 a day that they are not in full compliance, she said. This is not just because it’s being used a school; there are a number of other items that the township has to review to make sure that the building is being used safely for the inhabitants and those around them. For example, if an interior wall was taken down, or if electrical outlets were changed, they would need to be inspected in order for it to be safe.
A letter had circulated on social media that an application had been filed with the town’s Board of Adjustment for a “Change of Use.” The letter urged people to come out to land use meetings to protest the school, but the school was not on any meeting’s agenda.
Temple Beth Or Board President Sandi Silber said she had been told by the new owners that the site would continue to be used as a synagogue.
There were only two bids for the Temple Beth Or property, a 4.6-acre site with a 17,000 square-foot synagogue, 3,000 square-foot original temple and three-bedroom residence for the rabbi. The property sold for $3.5 million, and was purchased by a group from Lakewood.
Judy Smestad-Nunn contributed to this story
