Community center, better fields coming to Monte Irvin in Orange

ORANGE — A community center is being built in Monte Irvin Orange Park where two baseball/softball fields in the park’s northern section are simultaneously being modernized.

“When we started our initiative to re-imagine the community centers in our parks, it always was our intention to build a facility in Monte Irvin Orange Park which never offered its visitors a place to hold indoor programs,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. “In the parks where we have built modern community centers, participation from the community has been overwhelming and we anticipate the same level of interest here.”

DiVincenzo said the center has been designed to be an attractive space and meet the needs of the residents for generations to come.

“This is an appropriate place for this building because of its proximity to our three largest senior buildings,” Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren said.

DiVincenzo said that the two fields being redone are part of another initiative to continue the revitalization of the county park system.

“It is imperative that we come up with new ways to make it easier to maintain our fields, provide up-to-date playing conditions and maximize use,” DiVincenzo said.
“Improving the infields with synthetic surfaces is a way to address the condition of the field and preserve more natural turfed areas in our parks.”

The community center will be located near the intersection of Central Avenue and Oakwood Avenue with the entrance being on Oakwood Avenue about 100 feet from the intersection.

The building will be partially located on the footprint of the existing parking lot, which will be closed. The building will be 8,580 square feet and have a multi-purpose room that is about 5,000 square feet. There also will be a warming kitchen, space for a police substation, an office and storage space.

The restrooms will be accessible from inside the building and from outdoors. If the building is not in use, access to the restrooms can be limited to just the
outside, according to a press release from the county.

“Our church is right next to the park and we are excited to have another building that the community can take advantage of,” St. Matthew AME Church Pastor Melvin Wilson said.

A driveway will enable visitors to be dropped off right in front of the building and a covered entranceway will protect those entering the building from the elements.

There will be a parking lot to accommodate about 50 vehicles. In back of the building will be a covered patio for outdoor seating and events. The existing parking lot entrance at the corner of Central Avenue Oakwood Avenue will be closed and replaced with enhanced landscaping, the release said.

DiCara Rubino architects from Wayne was awarded a professional services contract for $522,900 to design the building and park entrance improvements. A publicly bid contract for $9.8 million to perform the construction work was scheduled for approval by the Board of Commissioners this month.

The project is being funded with grants from the State of New Jersey and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.

The two ballfields are in the northern area of the park and are just beyond the location of the community center. The alignment of the fields would be changed so that one field was moved closer to Oakwood Avenue and the outfields of the two fields would overlap. The infields would be redone with a synthetic playing surface and the outfields would remain as natural grass. New fencing, benches, covered dugouts and drainage and irrigation systems would be installed.

The concept of updating the infields with synthetic playing surfaces and leaving the outfields with natural grass was first introduced in the Essex County Parks System in Brookdale Park in Bloomfield/Montclair. Because of the success of the project, it was replicated in Yanticaw Park in Nutley and Branch Brook Park in Newark.

French and Parrello from Wall received a professional services contract for $99,000 to design the field improvements. The LandTek Group from Bay Shore, N.Y., was awarded a publicly bid contract for $2.4 million perform the construction work.

Among the changes in the park over the last 20 years are the following:

In May 2006, the name was changed to Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park in honor of baseball legend Monte Irvin. Irvin was raised in Orange, was one of the first African Americans to play in the Major Leagues and was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

In March 2004, modern equipment and a rubberized safety surface were installed in the playground.

In May 2006, the basketball court and restroom building were rebuilt for $527,968.

In April 2007, a $1.2 million facelift to upgrade the park entrances, gardens, baseball fields and pond area was completed. A memorial recognizing the valor of Orange Police Detective Kieran T. Shields was also dedicated. Shields lost his life on Aug. 7, 2006, while attempting to apprehend a shooting suspect.

In 2009, a soccer field with a synthetic grass surface was installed as part of a $1.1 million upgrade.

In 2014, public accessibility into the park was enhanced when new crosswalks, sidewalk ramps, pathways and roadway striping were installed on Oakwood Avenue.

In 2016, the playground was modernized and expanded.

In 2021, the formal gardens located near the Monte Irvin Statue were redone.

The improvements were funded with grants from the NJ Green Acres program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.

  community center, Essex County, Monte Irvin Park, Orange