An ambitious effort that aims to establish permanent community-focused recreation centers in all six of Jersey City’s wards took a big step forward as an architect has been hired to draw up plans for the facilities.
During their November 14 meeting, Jersey City’s Council approved a resolution to award a $467,000 contract towards designs for two recreation centers. The resolution passed with an 8-1 vote, with Councilman Rich Boggiano as the only member against the move.
Mayor Steve Fulop and Councilwoman Denise Ridley spearheaded the plan, the initial phase will include designing a new facility at Bayside Park. The other major component of the resolution will draw up a proposal to gut the former Joseph Connors Senior Center and modernize it to align with youth recreation in Jersey City Heights.
Plans for both facilities will be drawn up by FC3 Architecture + Design, who were awarded a contract for the work. The firm previously worked on both the new library branch in Jersey City’s Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood and the facade rehabilitation at City Hall.
The recreation center effort will also see complete construction of the new Boiler Building in the Powerhouse Arts District. The projects are all running through the city’s Department of Infrastructure, Division of Architecture.
“We have made remarkable progress over the past year with the opening of a new senior center, a library branch, the completion of Reservoir 3, and the launch of our Public Safety De-escalation Center,” said Mayor Fulop in a statement. “Building on our momentum, we are taking the next step to ensure that each ward has a dedicated space for community-focused centers in all six wards, fostering stronger connections and collaboration throughout Jersey City.”
Following the approval, Jersey City will be scheduling a total of eight public workshops that will commence in January 2025 with the Department of Infrastructure seeking community input on the future facilities.
Adopted in early 2022, the Jersey City Master Plan calls for expanding accessible recreation and community facilities. Each new center that is in the works will be managed through a partnership between the Jersey City Department of Recreation and Youth Development along with the Jersey City Free Public Library.
