Wayne planning $4M community center as activities magnet for local seniors, youth
WAYNE — The township plans to build a $4 million community center near the beach at Tom’s Lake to provide a meeting space for senior citizens and youth groups.
The estimated price of the new activities hall on Concord Place will be covered by the local open space trust fund, which means that taxpayers will not be slapped with an added expense.
Mayor Christopher Vergano pitched the idea to the Township Council at a recent public meeting, saying his administration intends to pay off the cost within four years.
Civic organizations do not have a central location to gather, he said, and rooms at the library are overbooked.
“We’re trying to find space to have a community center,” Vergano said. “Clearly, we don’t have one right now.”
The council approved a resolution to hire The Biber Partnership, P.C., an architect from Summit, to design the community center for $135,525.
Vergano said the current 1½-story building near the artificial lake at Capt. Michael Kilroy Memorial Park will be demolished following the summer of 2025.
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He said the community center of about 7,000 square feet will be on the same footprint as that building, which opened in September 1969 — a little more than a year after the park was dedicated to Kilroy, the first soldier from the township to die in the Vietnam War.
In October, the township health department launched a resource center at the seldom-used building where residents learn yoga and talk about diabetes prevention with a dietician.
The township made several improvements to the park in recent years, investing more than $900,000 to install an accessible walkway, swim lanes and swim rafts, among other upgrades. Much of the cost for the award-winning work was funded through Passaic County grants.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne NJ to spend open space taxes for $4M community center
