Restoration of Essex County Riverbank Park Community Center is complete – Essex News Daily
Cutting a ceremonial ribbon to dedicate the Essex County Riverbank Park Community Center are, from left, Essex County assistant engineer Henry Chamesian, Sheriff Armando Fontoura, Newark Councilman Anibal Ramos, Essex County Public Works Director and county engineer Sanjeev Varghese, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., Nancy Zak from SPARK and Ironbound Community Corp., Essex County Parks Director Dan Salvante, Freeholder President Brendan Gill, Obi Agudosi from OCA Architects, Steve Savreski from APS Contracting, Kirk-Dean Scarlett from OCA Architects, Deputy Parks Director Kate Hartwyk, and SPARK members Rev. Moacir Weirich, Felisa Caminos, Pilar Barreiro and Joe Rendeiro.
NEWARK, NJ — Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. announced Aug. 3 that the project to restore and modernize the Essex County Riverbank Park Community Center has been completed. A focal point for recreation and academic enrichment before the pandemic, the one-story building was severely damaged by a fire in 2018.
“We are pleased to have partnered with SPARK and the Ironbound Community Corp. to transform the Riverbank Park building into a vibrant community center where residents of all ages gather and children receive academic enrichment, learn about the environment and participate in recreation programs. When the building was damaged by fire, we knew it had to be replaced,” DiVincenzo said. “We are proud that some of the historic features of the old building were recreated and pleased to provide our residents with a new, state-of-the-art building that will enhance residents’ usage of the park.”
“It’s great to see this facility rebuilt. It provides us with a sense of normalcy during the pandemic and shows government can continue to deliver to our community during challenging times,” Freeholder President Brendan Gill said.
“It’s great to get this building back. People are emotionally attached to Riverbank Park and our hearts were broken when the fire occurred. This is a wonderful thing and it makes my heart beat again,” said Nancy Zak of SPARK and the Irvington Community Corp.
Parts of the exterior brick walls of the building were salvaged to preserve the historical appearance of the community center. The remaining walls were reinforced and the building was reconstructed from the ground up.
OCA Architects from Newark was awarded a professional services contract $85,000 to design the new building. APS Contracting Inc. from Paterson was awarded a publicly bid contract for $1,119,000 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works monitored the project to ensure delays were avoided. Proceeds from insurance and a grant was used to fund the reconstruction of the community center. Work started in January and was completed in six months.