That old saying “lightning never strikes twice,” definitely does not apply to the Long Beach Township Municipal Building.

At their regular Board of Commissioners meeting held yesterday, Mayor Joseph Mancini and Commissioners Joseph Lattanzi and Ralph Bayard voted to authorize a $960,000 emergency appropriation following a  lightning strike to the Municipal Building on June 30th. Township officials said they expect to recover most of those funds through insurance.

Lattanzi noted that this is the fourth lighting strike to the building in recent years. This strike knocked out computer and telephone systems in many areas of the building, which houses the Municipal Court, Police Department and other Township offices.

Lattanzi noted the township has a backup communication system manned by the Sheriff’s Department, and he noted that they are put on alert in the event the weather calls for severe storms in the area. Lattanzi added that the township has grounding mechanisms, but because of where the building is located, it is highly susceptible to lightning strikes.

“We are just a big building,” Mancini said in an interview with Patch following the meeting.

In related news, the Board also approved a resolution that designates $11,000 for roof repairs to the Police Department and the purchase of one 10-ton air conditioning unit for the Police Department. Per the resolution, the roof contract is based on a quote from Pistone Exteriors.

In addition to a new roof and air conditioning unit, the Police Department, by way of resolution from the Board, also added three police cruisers to their ranks. The cruisers will be leased From Hertrich Fleet Services in three separate payments of $34,056.15 with an optional $1 payout at the end of the lease.