[slideshow_deploy id=’899′]
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—A long-discussed possibility for an Englewood community center—a debate decades old but now offering new options on the table—will get its first airing at a citywide forum “very soon,” said the City Council president Oct. 9.
“It’s a conversation that has been going on in Englewood and we need to get the facts out and hear more from you. We’ll set a date and put out an agenda for that discussion,” said Council President Wayne Hamer.
When pressed by resident Amy Bulluck for a specific date, Hamer said “we’ll have a date shortly,” and when Bulluck asked if any residents would help in planning a community center forum, Hamer said “that hasn’t been decided. Thanks for the suggestion.”
The meeting was prompted by questions last month about whether Englewood is moving to create a community center, said Hamer.
Hamer said a recent church “town hall” at Englewood’s Metro Community Church highlighted that institution’s newly proposed plans to acquire property and build a church that may also double as a community center.
Currently, the church uses the John A. Grieco Elementary School on Sundays to conduct services. The church, a Protestant denomination, has served the city for 14 years, said Sanita Ponton, an associate pastor.
Ponton said the church has just begun its efforts to seek public input on its plans to obtain land and build appropriate religious facilities—which could also serve as a community center—but won’t make any decision on its facilities or needs until after it concludes more forums to solicit residents’ feedback.
“We think it could be a win-win for the city,” said Ponton, noting the church held its first public outreach meeting Oct. 4 to seek input and “reintroduce the Metro Church to the community.” She said more outreach forums are planned, one in January and concluding by spring 2019.
Ponton said the church uses 15 classrooms for its Sunday programs, requires office space, and needs a large auditorium that seats at least 700 people.
She said in a new facility, once all services and programs are concluded on Sundays, the church facilities would likely be available the other six days of the week.
“Whatever interests are out there, we want them to be part of the conversation, and we [Metro Community Church] want to be as open, transparent and engaging in this process as possible,” Ponton said.
Ponton said the church has started a capital campaign for future land acquisition and construction costs and stressed the church wants to work with the city if at all possible in creating a community center. She said the church has approximately 500 adults and 250 children as members.
Hamer noted the church’s forum Oct. 4 “was impressive” but he reminded approximately 40 audience members that the City Council would sponsor a town-hall meeting to focus on ideas for a community center.
‘Great amount of interest’
“There was a great amount of interest in what was being said that night,” said Hamer, referring to a need for a community center. Hamer said that council members will decide soon where and when the public forum will occur.
It appears council members will consider at least two options—Metro Community Church’s future proposal and the repurposing of Liberty School—as scenarios worth discussion.
Liberty School possibility
Before 2018 ends, the council will likely discuss the fate of 116-year-old Russell C. Major Liberty School, a now vacant building that local advocates and preservationists were recently told can be “repurposed” as a community, arts or cultural center.
A February presentation by an architect specializing in restoring historical buildings—such as Liberty School—said “adaptive reuse” of historical buildings often leads to a revitalization of the area. The architect, Peter Scaglione of Beyer Blinder Bell, New York, suggested Liberty School could serve as a “cultural anchor” in downtown Englewood.
Scaglione, a speaker offered by Project Liberty, a local group working to preserve the school, said efforts to repurpose historical buildings often spur rejuvenation of downtowns by serving as catalysts for further investment, business growth and public improvements.
Liberty ‘should be saved’
“We believe that the Liberty School, constructed in 1901, should be saved and converted to a productive use rather than torn down. Its ornate brickwork, high ceilings and solid construction all contribute to the distinctive building, which would serve as ideal space for arts or community facilities,” said Scaglione.
Michael Shannon, Project Liberty chair, said then that Liberty School offered “tremendous potential” and his group offered its assistance to Englewood to develop a request for proposals for the historical school and site.
In late February, Hamer told former Mayor Sondra Greenberg that although T&M Associates, the city’s engineer, had a signed contract with Englewood to prepare a “redevelopment plan” for Liberty School, that they would not be the only consultant involved with completing a redevelopment plan.
Questioned further by Greenberg whether other consulting firms would be considered to assist in creating a redevelopment plan, Hamer said they would be.
Liberty’s ‘redevelopment plan’
The revelation that T&M Associates had signed a contract in early 2017 to do a redevelopment study to determine whether the school should be deemed “an area in need of redevelopment”—which it was in January—as well as a subsequent redevelopment plan surprised Mayor Frank Huttle III, as well as residents pushing to preserve Liberty School.
Back in February, Greenberg questioned whether T&M Associates would do the redevelopment plan for Liberty School.
“So you’re definitely saying that this firm is definitely the one who is going to do all the work on redevelopment planning and helping you?“ asked Greenberg.
“No, we are not saying that,” said Hamer. Greenberg said she hoped other firms would be considered for creating a redevelopment plan for Liberty School.
“We are, too; we are, too. We are not making that commitment. Absolutely not,” said Hamer then.
Over the past year at least a dozen residents—some on a monthly basis—have regularly raised the possibility of repurposing Liberty School for some type of community center—preserving its historical heritage and facades and not using it for more apartments or selling it to a developer.
Late in 2017, a former councilman had pressed for the school—purchased along with Lincoln School in 2003—to be developed for apartments and a request for proposals to be issued. No action was taken at the time.