Saying “This was long overdue,” Barnegat Township Mayor Alfonso Cirulli cut the ribbon for a somewhat belated grand opening for its new municipal building on West Bay Avenue on Friday.

While he noted the building has been open since January, officials had hoped to have some type of ceremony. But it had to wait for the old town hall, which was located in front of the new structure, to be demolished. Then there were landscaping and reconfiguring the area to accommodate more parking.