Contract Restraints May Mean Few Wedding Bells for Gibbs Hall in 2012

Unless you're a last minute Lucy, don't plan on having your wedding at Gibbs Hall.

The banquet hall, once off-limits to civilians without miltary connections, will soon be open for all, thanks to an agreement being finalized between and .

However, with the clock ticking on a one-year time period for the contractors to operate here, those ladies saying "yes to the dress" would have to throw a wedding together quickly to celebrate their nuptials here.

Atlantic Golf's CEO Stephen Rice said this week that he thinks contracts will be signed by next week, which will give McLoone's the go ahead to operate the sports bar at Suneagles and Gibbs Hall's banquet facilities. Rice acknowledged that not being able to plan events, like weddings, long in advance is a "disadvantage." But he said, that hasn't deterred McLoone, who will instead concentrate on shorter term events like awards banquets.

The tudor style building sits on the golf course grounds and has a capacity to serve up to 500 guests, just not after next September.

That's because the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), the authority charged with the redevelopment of the entire fort property, has a one-year, no cost lease on the golf course with the Army, which still owns the property. Once FMERA and the Army have a transfer agreement for the fort property, the redeveloper will look to sell off the golf course to a developer. Plans so far call for the golf course to remain with the addition of a hotel conference center.

Rice said he would be interested in buying the property but couldn't say if he would be up for developing a hotel and conference center. No deals are on the table yet.