Plainfield approves YMCA purchase paving way for youth center
PLAINFIELD – The city is moving forward with plans to purchase the former YMCA building on Watchung Avenue, for nearly $5.2 million, to use as a youth recreational and cultural facility.
The property is envisioned as the future home of the Plainfield Center of Excellence, a plan Mayor Adrian Mapp has had for years.
And while most council members at Monday's meeting voted in favor of the acquisition, Councilwoman Ashley Davis and Councilman Sean McKenna did not. McKenna unsuccessfully tried to table the ordinance.
McKenna said the city's youth should have a facility as nice as the one in nearby Piscataway, or elsewhere.
"This property does not get those kids that kind of a structure, or a center of excellence. It gets them something in the middle of the city without outdoor recreation," McKenna said, adding youth would have to be bused around to different facilities.
He said the city should have looked for property to buy where everything could be consolidated into one venue that is similar to what Piscataway has, with parking and outdoor space and many indoor amenities.
While Davis thinks the center of the city is a good location for the facility, she's not sold on the YMCA site, especially because it's unknown what the true costs will be to renovate it. She's concerned how much it will cost taxpayers now and in the future.
"The children and young adults deserve a place where they can go and enjoy wholesome recreational activities, celebrate achievements, have cultural, educational and artistic experiences, just like the people in some of the neighboring communities,” the mayor said. “We as a community ought to be willing to invest in the future of the people who live in our city. Part of my administration's vision for the past five years has been to build a Center of Excellence that is the anchor for recreational services.”
Local:Plainfield ordinance alters Historic Preservation Commission's role
The Center of Excellence was initially planned for the city's 4th Ward in the area of Hannah Atkins Park, but hit a wall with the state over open space at that site. Mapp said once building from the ground at that site was nixed, the city pivoted to using the former YMCA site. He said the project could be done by the city or through a partnership.
City officials were impressed when they visited the $32 million YMCA at the Piscataway Community Center on Hoes Lane, which features an aquatic center with three pools, full-size basketball court with overhead running track, fitness center with modern exercise machines, golf simulators, dance and art studios, youth activity room and a community room, as well as locker rooms, café and a large space for group meetings. The facility also has an outdoor spray park. User fees help pay for the facility.
William Michelson, Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission chairman, said the price to acquire the Watchung Avenue property is four times what it should be. And while the purchase will preserve the YMCA building's façade, everything behind it needs to be demolished, he said. He suggested the city buy Grace Episcopal Church, which would be suitable for a cultural and educational facility, which means plans for apartments and retail space at the former YMCA site, which were approved last year, could go forward.
Other residents objected to the city's purchase of the former YMCA building. One resident noted the YMCA sold the building in 2018 to a private developer for about $1.5 million, and in 2020 that private owner sold it to another private owner for $4.2 million and now the city is looking to pay that owner $5.18 million. And while the city plans to use American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase the property, the resident said city taxpayers will have to pay millions to rehabilitate the building, which has no outdoor space for recreation and inadequate parking.
Another resident said the $5 million in federal funding would be better spent updating city pools and perhaps locating a Center for Excellence near a pool. And another resident said the $5.2 million doesn't consider any costs for environmental issues or cleanup. The cost of rehabilitation will sink the city, a Franklin Place resident said.
The City Council on Monday awarded a $28,750 professional services contract to Think Wilder Architecture of West Orange for general sanitary sewer services, and a $14,950 professional services contract to Remington & Vernick Engineers of Cherry Hill for engineering services, both for the Plainfield Center of Excellence.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Plainfield City Council authorizes YMCA purchase
