Mayor Ted R. Green and Councilwoman Naiima Fauntleroy talk about the center at the event.
EAST ORANGE — A small gathering was held outside the Fellowship Civic Center last week to celebrate a $250,000 federal appropriation that will help renovate the long-time community space.
“It’s a special day in the city of East Orange,” said Mayor Ted Green.
The $250,000 will fund the Fellowship Civic Center Renovation Project, an initiative aimed at modernizing and enhancing the building. Planned improvements include the replacement of an aging HVAC system, upgrades to ensure full ADA accessibility, roof replacement, and the creation of a new on-site childcare center to better serve local families.
“It’s important because the Fellowship Center has been a pillar in our community,” Green said.
The Fellowship Civic Center has long served as a hub for recreation, programming, and community engagement. This investment will ensure the facility remains safe, accessible, and responsive to the evolving needs of East Orange residents, according to a press release from the city.
A key component of the project is the development of a new childcare center, which will provide working families with safe, reliable, and local childcare options—helping to ease daily burdens while supporting economic stability and workforce participation across the city, the release said.
U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver who orchestrated the appropriation was on hand for the ceremony and spoke about her own connection to the area.
“I come from good stock,” McIver said. “My mother was from East Orange and she came here” to the center.
Green talked about the civic center, saying its history dates back to the 1860s when a group of people who were meeting to talk about the area’s future needed a place to meet.
Green also talked about some of the people who had utilized the center in the Fifth Ward over the years including the members of Naughty by Nature – Anthony S. Criss, Vincent E. Brown, Keir Lamont Gist.
“This place has history,” Green said. “Some of the best basketball games you will ever see were played here.”
Last year, the Naughty by Nature trio donated a basketball court that is located in the Oval Park behind the center. All three made an appearance at the event last week.
“We are so rich in history and tradition in our city,” Green said to McIver. “You have given us another opportunity to give this place a facelift.”
Naiima Fauntleroy, who represents the Fifth Ward on the city council, spoke and thanked McIver, adding it was a positive to see a woman representing the area in Congress.
In her remarks, McIver talked about the importance of maintaining these local spaces that have played an important role in the lives of residents.
“We have to keep up these institutions, these entities that have such a rich history,” McIver said. “These places hold cherished memories.”
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