14 Oct ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES PLANS TO CONSTRUCT MODERN CHERRY BLOSSOM WELCOME CENTER IN ESSEX COUNTY BRANCH BROOK PARK
Published on October 14, 2022
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced on Thursday, October 13th plans to construct a larger, modern Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in Essex County Branch Brook Park was underway. The project includes demolishing the existing Cherry Blossom Welcome Center and replacing it with a new, 12,000-square-foot structure. This is part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to revitalize the Essex County Parks System and provide up-to-date facilities for the public’s use.
“Every spring, Branch Brook Park bursts to life with the blossoming of our 5,200 cherry blossom trees. Even though we host a variety of events to celebrate the trees, the small size of the current Cherry Blossom Centers limits what we can do indoors and year-round to maintain interest in the park and trees,” DiVincenzo said. “The larger building will help us expand our year-round programming in the park and will provide the public with an up-to-date facility to gather and hold events. It will be another way residents will be able to enjoy our historic parks system,” he added.
“Branch Brook Park was an extraordinary place growing up. And it’s great to witness that the people who come to the park today appreciate the improvements and regard the park as their own backyard,” Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz said. “Joe has a vision for the parks and doing projects like this creates more opportunities and attracts more people to the park,” Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin said.
“Look at all the nice things we have in the park today. I look forward to the opening of this monumental structure,” Commissioner Patricia Sebold said.
“This new space will be valuable to the community. I commend Joe D. for all the things he has done and for his vision for the park,” Newark North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said. “All the things Joe has done to improve Branch Brook Park has benefited the community and helped raise property values in the neighborhood,” Newark At-large Councilman Luis Quintana said.
“Branch Brook Park has always been a beautiful place to come and it’s gotten better because of all the improvements spearheaded by our County Executive,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.
“This building will be the first impression when people visit Branch Brook Park and the cherry blossoms. We owe our thanks to Joe D. for making that a good impression,” Thomas Dougherty from the Branch Brook Park Alliance said.
“Branch Brook Park is the reason I am in Newark. I thank Joe DiVincenzo for making this park come to life,” Elizabeth Del Tufo, Newark historian, said.
The new building will be a one-floor, 11,000-square foot, handicap accessible building. The centerpiece of the building will be a large community room with a capacity to seat about 250 people. There also will be a kitchen, restrooms that are accessible from inside and outside of the building, and storage rooms. A lobby area will be equipped with gallery and display cases, the imitation cherry blossom tree from the original building will be relocated to the lobby and the walls of the lobby will be decorated with a themed cherry blossom mural.
The front of the building will have a covered entry way and driveway that will make accessing the building easy. A patio will be located behind the building. The flagpole will be relocated to enhance access to the building. The two bocce courts will be repositioned on the right side of the building. A variety of site improvements also will be made, including enhanced landscaping, planting new trees, installation of benches and trash receptacles, and water fountains.
The new Cherry Blossom Welcome Center will be designed similarly to recent community center projects completed in Essex County Cedar Grove Park, Essex County Watsessing Park in Bloomfield and Essex County Weequahic Park in Newark. Other projects in which community centers are being constructed are in Essex County West Side Park in Newark, the Wally Choice Community Center in Essex County Glenfield Park in Montclair and the D. Bilal Beasley Community Center in Essex County Irvington Park.
During the demolition of the existing building and construction, the parking lot and playground adjacent to the building will be closed to the public from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
DiCara Rubino Architects from Wayne were awarded a professional services contract for $562,500 to design the demolition plan of the existing building and design the new building. Caravalla Demolition from East Hanover was awarded a publicly bid contract for $270,734 to perform the demolition work. Tsivicos Enterprises from Neptune City was awarded a publicly bid contract for $9,890,000 to construct the new building. The Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project to ensure delays are avoided. The project is being funded with grants from the State of New Jersey, the American Rescue Plan and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. The building is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2023.
Revitalizing Essex County’s Branch Brook Park
The Branch Brook Park Alliance has been the primary partner with Essex County to revitalize Branch Brook Park, which opened in 1895. More than $50 million of upgrades have been made throughout the Park through this partnership. Park enhancements have been supported with grants from corporations, the New Jersey Green Acres program, the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund, philanthropic organizations and community members. In addition, the Alliance has sponsored a variety of programs to clean the waterways, spruce up the park, maintain the cherry tree collection, develop an urban farm, among other activities.
The historic Ballantine Gates off of Lake Avenue were rehabilitate and preserved in 2021. The Branch Brook Dog Park was A new synthetic grass surface was installed on the Robert Clemente Baseball Field in 2019. Synthetic grass surfaces were installed on the Ray Dandridge and Jerome Greco Little League Fields in 2018. A bronze bust of Frederick Law Olmstead was dedicated in 2018 and a bronze bust of Mendelssohn was restored and rededicated in 2017; both are located in the Prudential Concert Grove. A playground designed with a cherry blossom theme was opened at the Essex County Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in 2015. The Barbara Bell Coleman Welcome Center and Concourse Hill upgrades, along with the opening of a two-mile, synthetic surface walking track, creation of a children’s garden at the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center, renovation of a well in the Park’s Northern Division, the rehabilitation of the Reservoir Walls in the Park’s Southern Division and modernization of the Clifton Avenue basketball courts were completed in 2014. The bronze statue honor the late tennis legend Althea Gibson was dedicated and the 20-court tennis complex named in her honor received a complete makeover in March 2012 and the field house in the tennis complex was renovated in July 2012.
A multi-phase project to upgrade the lakefront in the Southern Division was completed in April 2012. It included the restoration of the historic Prudential Lions statues and balustrade, the rehabilitation of two buildings for restrooms and public meeting space, updating the music court with new pavers and landscaping. The music court overlooking the lake was dedicated as the “Prudential Concert Grove” to recognize the corporation’s ongoing support to restore the Park, and a memorial cherry tree grove was rededicated in honor of Kiyofumi Sakaguchi, who was President and CEO of Prudential International Insurance at the time of his death.
The renovation of the historic Octagon Fieldhouse in the Essex County Stephen N. Adubato, Sr. Sports Complex was completed in April 2011. Completed in 2010 were a project to pave the park roadway, upgrade walking paths, and install historic lighting in the section of the park from the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center to Heller Parkway, the planting of 600 Cherry Trees and other trees throughout Branch Brook Park and the paving of the park roadway from Mill Street to Washington Street.
In September 2009, the Middle Division Recreation Complex was renamed as the “Essex County Stephen N. Adubato, Sr. Sports Complex,” in honor of the founder of The North Ward Center and Robert Treat Academy. In August 2009, a synthetic surface football/soccer field was constructed and named after NFL Hall of Famer and Barringer High School alumni Andre Tippett. Earlier in 2009, a “demonstration project” in the Branch Brook Park Extension enhanced landscaping, added Cherry Trees, improved pathways and modernized entranceways into the park from Franklin Avenue. The Bloomfield Avenue Bridge that passes over the Middle Division was rehabilitated in 2009.
The Cherry Blossom Welcome Center was renovated and transformed into a year-round showplace to raise awareness about the Japanese Flowering Cherry Blossom Trees in 2008. A replica of the historic Octagon Shelter in the Southern Division of Essex County Branch Brook Park was built in 2007 and the baseball field complex known as the “three diamonds” was upgraded in 2007. The baseball/softball complex in the Branch Brook Park Middle Division was reopened in April 2005 after a remediation and modernization project, and the historic restoration of the Park Avenue Bridge was completed in 2005. Entrance enhancements, new fencing and landscaping along Clifton Avenue and Mill Street, and a major improvement project along Lake Street have made the park more inviting.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 23 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, Treetop Adventure Course, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, two miniature golf courses, golf driving range, five off-leash dog facilities, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Branch Brook Park was created in 1895 and is the first park in Essex County’s system. At 359.72 acres, it is the largest county park in Essex.