30 Sep ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO, GOVERNOR MURPHY AND ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE PRESIDENT DR. BOAKYE DEDICATE NEW WEST ESSEX CAMPUS West Caldwell Location is Transformed with State-of-the-Art Education Building, Soccer Field and Parking Deck
Published on September 30, 2023
West Caldwell, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Governor Phil Murphy and Essex County College President Dr. Augustine A. Boakye officially dedicated the new Essex County College Satellite Campus on Bloomfield Avenue in West Caldwell. The site was transformed with a 51,700-square-foot school building, synthetic grass surface soccer field and 325-car parking garage. The new facilities replace the 1920s elementary school building formerly located on the site.
“As County Executive, it is my responsibility to ensure that Essex County College has the resources and proper facilities to provide its students with a first-class education that will prepare them for their future. This new campus provides our students with an appropriate setting and modern facilities to continue their education,” DiVincenzo said. “Generations of residents have looked to Essex County College as a beacon of hope. Creating a modern campus solidifies the college’s presence in West Essex and makes it an attractive destination for students,” he added.
“I want to thank Governor Phil Murphy and Dr. Augustine Boakye for their partnership on this project. Building this new campus is an example of what can be accomplished when different government agencies share the same goals and work together to achieve them,” he added.
Governor Murphy, who was accompanied by First Lady Tammy Murphy, said that strengthening community colleges throughout New Jersey is a key to revitalizing the state. “This is a gem of an institution. We have great community colleges in our state, but no one does it better than Essex County,” he said.
“This new Essex County College branch campus adds to our operational efficiencies and expands delivery of our educational programs in a state-of-the-art environment designed to meet the needs of students in West Essex,” Dr. Boakye said. “I thank Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo for his foresight and Gov. Phil Murphy for his leadership and support for education,” he added.
“Every conversation we have about every issue ultimately involves education. In buildings like this we can watch our students lives unfold at their fingertips,” Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz said.
“Today we are standing in this wonderful academic building to celebrate a new chapter in the life of Essex County College. This is a great building, but the underlying importance is the impact it will have on our students,” Essex County College Board of Trustees President Marion Bolden said.
“Essex County College is a world-class institution that helps develop world-class graduates. This sparkling facility will help with that mission,” said Commissioner President Wayne Richardson.
“What touches me are the types of graduates it produces and you see that in the students who are here today. This building is the result of a match made in heaven between our governor, county executive and school president,” New Jersey and Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman LeRoy Jones said.
West Caldwell Mayor Joseph Tempesta, who watched the development of the building over the last two years, described the ECC complex as a “tremendous success.”
“Essex County College has influenced generations of students and enriched our academic journeys. As a student here, I know how much the college has helped its students and let us write our own life’s story,” said Yadira Rosales, President of the ECC Student Government Association.
Alumna Annabell Stracker called ECC a “temple of learning” that became her second family. She said the staff helped her find her career path and graduate despite battle breast cancer. “Although I have fond memories of the old building, I am excited for the community to get to enjoy this new space,” she said.
The new four-story building provides space to complement the current curriculum offered by the college and is designed with flexibility to accommodate any changes that may arise in the future. It includes space for classrooms, labs, an information center, the ECC Skilled and Technical Science Academy and multi-purpose halls. Also on the site is a synthetic grass surface soccer field and parking garage. The field will serve as the home field for the Essex County College soccer program and the Essex County West Caldwell School of Technology soccer teams. It also will be available for local recreation programs to use.
The new building replaced the elementary school originally constructed in 1923. Although the school was expanded with two additions in the 1970s and 1980s, it no longer provided functional classroom space for the college’s ever-changing technology-based curriculum.
Essex County College is utilizing school construction grants, i.e., the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act and the Building Our Future Bond Act. Funds also are being provided from the State of New Jersey, the Essex County Capital Budget and the Essex County Schools of Technology District. The building, soccer field and parking deck cost about $60 million to build.
Work on the project began in August 2021 and took about 24 months to complete.