1-May-2025
On Wednesday-30-April the Borough of Bogota held a groundbreaking ceremony to start the work on creating a new Community Center in Olsen Park. This will replace the current Recreation Center that served the Borough for many decades.
Part of creating a new center can be traced back to the early 2010’s when then Mayor Pat McHale said in open Council that an indoor basketball court would be a useful addition to the building.
In 2016 the River Development Corporation was approved to redevelop the former Hess/Sifford Ford site along W. Ft. Lee Rd., part of this plan was to have a Community Enhancement fund established. In 2018 during the administration of Mayor Chris Kelemen the thought of using this fund for a new Recreation Center gained momentum. Even after a new firm took over the W. Ft. Lee rd. project the Community Enhancement fund was still in place.
In 2024, under now Mayor Ms. Daniele Fede, a design and budget was approved.
At the start of the ceremony, Borough Administrator Mr. Conall O’Malley introduced Mayor Fede. She talked about the work of present and past administration to find a way to get to this point in time. Mayor Fede also thank the professionals for this project in the way they worked with the Borough to have a useable design with the budget that was created.
Next Councilwoman Ms. Lisa Kohles talked about how this project is the second phase of renewing all of Olsen Park. She thanked the Bogota Board of Education for their cooperation with the Governing body to create the expanded Fiegel Field and ball fields in the East side of Olsen Park. Councilwoman Kohles then mentioned the next phase will be to improve the basketball and tennis courts, followed by an upgrade to Lady Buc softball field.
Next Councilman Mr. John Mitchell said that when all the projects are finished Bogota will have a new and improved “Front Door” to welcome visitors with.
Then the Mayor And Councilmembers, with hardhats and shovels, moved a symbolic patch of dirt to signify the start of the new Bogota Community Center.
The Community Center will be a one-story structure that will house a main multi-purpose room having a Junior Varsity size Basketball Court. This room will also be used for Summer Camp, along with Student and Adult programs. There will also be a separate meeting room, a new directors office, and storage rooms for equipment. A new snack bar will be created that can serve both indoor events and offer food service to the park. Public restrooms will be accessible during regular park hours. At this time, an opening of April 2026 is planned.
On Wednesday-30-April the Borough of Bogota held a groundbreaking ceremony to start the work on creating a new Community Center in Olsen Park. This will replace the current Recreation Center that served the Borough for many decades.
Part of creating a new center can be traced back to the early 2010’s when then Mayor Pat McHale said in open Council that an indoor basketball court would be a useful addition to the building.
In 2016 the River Development Corporation was approved to redevelop the former Hess/Sifford Ford site along W. Ft. Lee Rd., part of this plan was to have a Community Enhancement fund established. In 2018 during the administration of Mayor Chris Kelemen the thought of using this fund for a new Recreation Center gained momentum. Even after a new firm took over the W. Ft. Lee rd. project the Community Enhancement fund was still in place.
In 2024, under now Mayor Ms. Daniele Fede, a design and budget was approved.
At the start of the ceremony, Borough Administrator Mr. Conall O’Malley introduced Mayor Fede. She talked about the work of present and past administration to find a way to get to this point in time. Mayor Fede also thank the professionals for this project in the way they worked with the Borough to have a useable design with the budget that was created.
Next Councilwoman Ms. Lisa Kohles talked about how this project is the second phase of renewing all of Olsen Park. She thanked the Bogota Board of Education for their cooperation with the Governing body to create the expanded Fiegel Field and ball fields in the East side of Olsen Park. Councilwoman Kohles then mentioned the next phase will be to improve the basketball and tennis courts, followed by an upgrade to Lady Buc softball field.
Next Councilman Mr. John Mitchell said that when all the projects are finished Bogota will have a new and improved “Front Door” to welcome visitors with.
Then the Mayor And Councilmembers, with hardhats and shovels, moved a symbolic patch of dirt to signify the start of the new Bogota Community Center.
The Community Center will be a one-story structure that will house a main multi-purpose room having a Junior Varsity size Basketball Court. This room will also be used for Summer Camp, along with Student and Adult programs. There will also be a separate meeting room, a new directors office, and storage rooms for equipment. A new snack bar will be created that can serve both indoor events and offer food service to the park. Public restrooms will be accessible during regular park hours. At this time, an opening of April 2026 is planned.
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| image courtesy by the Borough of Bogota |
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| image courtesy by the Borough of Bogota |
(Help support Bogota Blog NJ with its coverage of local stories and sports by
contributing at Donate to Bogota Blog NJ)
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