ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—A proposal for a 55,000-square-foot community center at Liberty School—which preserves its historic facade and includes a three-story, 15,000-square-foot addition costing between $12 million to $15 million—was presented Dec. 10 by a local church organization that hopes to find a permanent home for its congregation and help the city build its long-stalled community gathering place.
On and off for at least a decade or more—and some council critics say several decades—the City Council has discussed and studied the idea of a community center without taking action.
A consultant hired this year to conduct a half-dozen communitywide forums on a possible community center has held one meeting so far.
‘A huge ask’
“This is a huge ‘ask,’” said Sanetta Ponton, a pastor at Metro Community Church, stressing that the community center envisioned would not bring in high-end apartments or ratables or generate revenues as Wildes suggested.
“It really is about the community deciding or council deciding this is what we want to invest in that may not have a monetary value we can place on a spreadsheet,” Ponton said. “We have to decide as a community that we are willing to invest in the lives of our residents in such a way that it may not show up on a budget spreadsheet but is still valuable.”
Ponton said Metro Community Church was offering a proposal and seeking information from the council as to determine how far they should go in pursuing its vision for a community center.
She also said they are willing to continue conversations on the proposal, plus participate in public forums initiated by the council this year to solicit community input on whether to pursue a community center.
Mayor, council reaction
Councilman Michael Cohen thanked Ponton and Metro Church for spending funds on putting together an initial proposal and Mayor Michael Wildes said he hoped that the proposal might be able to provide revenue for future self-support.
Wildes also wondered about funding future operational costs. No council action was taken. Only Wildes and Cohen appeared to express some interest or support for the proposal.
Previously, the council hired a consultant, Dudley Hamilton Associates of Englewood, for $48,000 in February to conduct up to six forums; so far one forum has occurred.
Once the council hired its consultant, several city organizations pursuing possible community center proposals decided to pause their efforts, including Metro Community Church, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation’s Project Liberty, and Shiloh A.M.E. Zion Church, to allow city officials to gauge community sentiment on a center.
Project Liberty provided presentations in early 2019 that showed how nearly 120-year-old Russell C. Major Liberty School—at Tenafly Road and Palisade Avenue—could become a “cultural anchor” for downtown Englewood.
One architect described structures in major urban areas that had been repurposed for community and public uses, such as educational, arts and nonprofit enterprises—and said Liberty School fit the bill for such reuse.
Over 100 attended
Ponton told over 100 residents jamming council chambers Dec. 10 that the church has held dozens of public meetings with community partners and groups before putting together its proposal and will continue to meet with local groups to create a Liberty School community center proposal to accommodate all interested parties.
Based on multiple public meetings, Ponton said residents want a place for youth, senior and intergenerational programming, indoor recreation, cultural and educational activities, and a place for sports, arts, and a place of learning.
She said activities such as indoor batting/basketball practices, yoga, dance, ESL courses, paintings, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes, and more.
She said building partnerships with Bergen Family Center and the Women’s Rights Information Center and others are on the radar screen to move the project forward.
‘Not in competition’
“We are not in competition, we are in collaboration,” said Ponton.
She said Metro wanted to build a community center “because it aligns with our vision and also the needs of the community.”
Ponton said any future community center operated by Metro Community Church would not promote any religion, would reach out to community organizations to include local needs and programs, and be run by a broad-based not-for-profit community board.
She said Metro is currently fundraising to kick-start planning for a fully-realized community center and noted the group seeks council input on whether to proceed further with its plans for Liberty School.
Future ‘flexibility’
Jim Bower, Guzzo + Guzzo Architects, Lyndhurst, showed a preliminary site design for the community center concept needs to include “maximum flexibility into the future.”
He said the second floor provides substantial space and the proposed building addition allows multiple activities and options to occur.
He said the basement—due to the new addition—will provide space for recreation, dance and yoga, along with multi-purpose rooms for meetings, education and other uses.
“We’re in the process of working out the next stage of development and the costs of a project like this,” said Bower.
Councilwoman Cheryl Rosenberg wondered who would run the programs and Ponton said she would likely select programs along with input from a board, with emphasis on local needs.
Audit $3 million earmark
Later, Council President Katharine Glynn said the city would conduct a financial audit to determine what happened with about $3 million that Wildes said was allocated nearly a decade ago to study a community center’s feasibility, plus find out what options exist for the city to compel developers to contribute funds to build a community center.
The city purchased Liberty School and Lincoln School in 2003 for about $11 million. It previously sold off and demolished Lincoln School.
Over the last several years, despite numerous discussions and constant calls from residents to take action to preserve the historic Liberty School, the school’s fate remains uncertain.
Following city engineer T&M Associates’ study in 2018, and approval by the Planning Board, the historic, century-plus Liberty School site was declared an “area in need of redevelopment” by the council.
Despite multiple calls for its “repurposing” and “adaptive reuse” by Project Liberty, an offshoot of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, and its consultants calling for its redevelopment to preserve its historic character, the school remains unoccupied and unused.
$54,000 in revenue?
Moreover, a proposal months ago to council to lease Liberty School parking lot to Englewood Health employees—estimated to generate at least $54,000 yearly—was not acted upon.
As part of a $28,000 redevelopment study and plan contract with city engineer T&M Associates, an $18,000 redevelopment plan for Liberty School was included and never completed.
Resident Amy Bullock, an avid community center advocate, had asked the council to use the $18,000 redevelopment plan to explore a community center at Liberty School. No action was taken.
Ponton said she hopes the council takes action soon—whether it’s to decide on issuing a request for proposals or deciding whether a community center is appropriate or not for the Liberty School site—adding that no meaningful progress can occur on a community center proposal until the governing body reaches a consensus.
Frustration and inaction
She told Northern Valley Press after the meeting it was important for council members to commit to doing something or not, as community members are growing more frustrated with inaction.
“We just want to get a process going … and we can’t do that if the City Council doesn’t lead the process,” said Ponton.
Nearly a dozen residents spoke in favor of Metro’s community center proposal, most urging action and chastising council members for inaction.
She suggested the council restart its forums to gauge public opinion or let the Metro Community Church move forward with its proposal, which includes council deciding to commit to preserve and repurpose Liberty School.
Earlier this year, Northern Valley Press reported on a city study conducted in 2010 that called for a community center or performing arts high school at Liberty School and no action was taken.
Several years ago, then-city councilman Eugene Skurnick repeatedly called for issuing an RFP to solicit plans for development of Liberty School. No action was taken.