JACKSON, N.J. — A difference in opinion about the value of a historic church in Jackson is proving to be a sticking point in lease negotiations for the property, according to municipal officials and representatives of a local religious organization.
In November, for the second time in several months, the Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (CPC) and Jackson’s administration could not come to terms at the close of an open bidding process to lease Harmony Church, Harmony Road.
According to information provided by the township clerk, municipal officials were seeking a minimum monthly rent of $2,390 for a 10-year period.
The bid specifications contained provisions that would have allowed the lessee to renew the lease for three additional five year terms with a potential rent increase.
However, Bruce Thompson, president of the CPC’s Board of Trustees, said he does not believe the township’s terms reflect the current state of Harmony Church.
“We don’t expect the property for free …[but] the building is not worth $2,390 [a month], whether we fix it up or not,” Thompson said.
Read more at http://tri.gmnews.com/news/2013-12-12/Front_Page/Church_seeking_to_rent_renovate_township_tract.html