HILLSDALE—Residents are likely to see preliminary plans for a new Stonybrook Community Center at the Dec. 13 Borough Council meeting, according to the borough business administrator.
In mid-July, council approved 5-1 (councilman Zoltán Horváth opposed) a resolution to hire DMR Architects for up to $199,000 to design a freestanding 4,000-square-foot senior community center at the Stonybrook Swim Club, initially estimated to cost $2 million.
Earlier in the same July meeting, special redevelopment counsel Joseph Baumann said a nearly 5,000-square-foot indoor community center space, with 2,100 square feet of outdoor patio space, will be provided as a “community benefit” or free, by the redeveloper of a 255-unit luxury apartment complex in the Patterson Street Redevelopment Zone, in exchange for a housing density bonus.
At the summer meeting where council okayed the study for another community center at Stonybrook, both Horváth and Mayor John Ruocco (who only votes in case of a tie) questioned the need for what they called “a second community center.”
Many residents speaking at the meeting also were not sure whether a separate center was needed at the popular swim club and pool.
Pascack Press reached out to administrator David Troast to get an update on where plans stood for a community center at Stonybrook Swim Club. On Nov. 18, he said “First, the plans are being modified by the architect based on feedback from the subcommittee including shifting the building, modifying the size and uses of the space and interaction with the existing parking lot. So it is a work in progress with no plan currently available.”
He said, “I anticipate a revised working plan to be reviewed by the subcommittee in early December. I anticipate a council presentation at the Dec. 13 meeting.”
Following a mid-November Pascack Press email to subcommittee members councilwoman Abby Lundy and councilman Anthony DeRosa asking what activities/programs might go at each of the two community centers planned to be built, Troast detailed the state of planning.
He said, “Hillsdale has one Community Program broken into seniors, adults, and children requiring several community spaces with different space requirements. This includes sports, day camp, senior space, indoor meeting space, active park space, passive park space, environmental/green educational learning area, space for the arts and open space, etc.”
Troast said, “Hillsdale currently accommodates the community space needs at multiple places in Hillsdale including Borough Hall, Schools, Library, St. Johns Church, Memorial Park, Beechwood Park, Stonybrook, Veterans Park, etc. The Borough is working towards addressing the current and future needs of the community for all age groups and interests.”
Asked about what square footage amounts and cost estimates residents might expect to see proposed for an upcoming Stonybrook facility, Troast did not reply by press time.
Ruocco has pressed council members on whether the need for a Stonybrook community center exists given the free community center that the redeveloper plans to build, plus upcoming bonding costs on about $3.5 million in upgrades planned for Centennial Field.
Moreover, residents will be voting on an $82.5 million school bond referendum to replace the century-old George G. White Middle School on March 14, 2023, likely adding nearly $1,300 in annual taxes if the school vote is approved. (Final costs and state aid amounts may affect taxpayer costs.)
So far, the Borough Council has not had a public discussion on possible daily uses and operations of either of the two community centers currently under development.
According to DMR’s proposal for the community center at Stonybrook Swim Club, three meetings will be conducted including a kick-off meeting, a schematic design meeting and a public presentation to the Borough Council.
It also includes design development services, construction documents, bidding services, and construction administration services.
The $199,000 contract breaks out as:
- $16,000 for schematic design;
- $3,000 for land-use submission;
- $4,400 for geotechnical investigation;
- $40,000 for design development;
- $60,600 for construction documents;
- $4,000 for the bidding process;
- $65,000 for construction administration; and
- $6,000 for reimbursables.
The community center developer at the Patterson Street redevelopment zone is Patterson Street Urban Renewal LLC, an affiliate of CP Hillsdale, which includes Claremont Development and March Development, both of Morristown.