The municipal parking deck at Robbins and Water Street will remain partially closed through the summer to repair the structure and cap it with a roof filled with solar panels. 

According to Robert Chankalian, township engineer, the parking garage has been beaten by weather conditions over the years.

"Water gets in there, freezes and expands, chipping off concrete and exposing the steel, which in turn rusts and reduces the overall integrity of the structure," Chankalian said.

Plans for the renovation include putting a new roof over the top deck of the garage, and because all of the roofs in downtown Toms River are angular, this is the best place for the new panels, he said. 

"We figure that while we are putting on the new roof, we may as well get this second project done at the same time and install the new solar panels," Chankalian said. "This is a necessary project we put off as long as we could and now the time has come for it to be complete."

The solar panels will be providing power to the municipal complex, and will be cutting down water, gas and electric bills for the township by over $100,000 a year. Along with the solar panel upgrades, the township is also installing new air conditioning units, energy-saving light bulbs, and they are even replacing all the toilets and faucets in the complex. 

"We will be saving over a million gallons of water a year by putting in new toilets and faucets." Chankalian stated. 

So how much will the solar panels cost taxpayers? According to Chankalian, the cost will be nothing. The township received a federal grant of $902,000 to cover most of the costs of the project, including the $650,000 cost of the solar panels. 

The project comes with a detour. All lanes going to the parking garage are only one way, and will stay that way until the project is completed. And as of right now, the project is scheduled to be complete by mid-summer. 

"There will be a 4-5 week period where we will close off most of the parking garage to put in the new steel beams. Each one weighs over 300lbs per foot, and we want to take the right precautions against any foreseeable accidents," Chankalian said.

Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher said that if that happens, a bulk of the drivers will migrate to the parking garage on Hooper Avenue near the county courthouse.

"If and when the structure has to be closed, we plan on working out a shuttle service to the county parking garage," the mayor said.