Orange Business Administrator Chris Hartwyk, center, speaks to, from left, at large Councilwoman Donna K. Williams, Katalin Gordon, Janice Morrell and newly elected Orange Board of Education member Derrick Henry, on Wednesday, Nov. 7, after City Council’s regular meeting, where the governing body approved three new resolutions related to the redevelopment of the old YWCA site on Main Street.
ORANGE, NJ — Almost three years ago, Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren and Deputy Business Administrator Willis Edwards said they could buy the old YWCA building on Main Street and convert it into a new Recreation Center for $2.5 million, which wouldn’t cost the city anything because the administration had already obtained a grant from the state Department of Community Affairs.
“The $2.5 million is free money,” said Warren on May 4, 2016, during the mayoral forum that the All Politics Are Local radio show organized and moderated at the YWCA for him and his 2016 mayoral opponents, East Ward Councilman Kerry Coley and former Zoning Board member Janice Morrell. “It’s a grant. We don’t have to pay it back. I never used it politically. The community told me … they didn’t want to use taxpayer dollars.”
Warren also said at a City Council meeting on Dec. 14, 2015, that buying the YWCA building and renovating it would not cost Orange taxpayers anything, but admitted his administration had made a deal with Superintendent Ron Lee and the Orange Public School District, wherein it agreed to donate $800,000 to the Recreation Center deal.
“Mayor Warren stated that the building would be bought for $1.3 million dollars but he could not give a written cost on the repairs until they go out to bid,” according to the official transcript of the Dec. 14, 2015, City Council meeting that city clerk Janice Lanier provided to West Ward Councilman Harold J. Johnson and which he forwarded to the Record-Transcript. “The building is now being used and does require repairs and upgrades, depending on the future use of the building. The cost will be $280,000 to open the pool, but to make it any bigger would cost around $1 million. The school will put aside $800,000, if necessary. The state’s money of $1.25 million will allow the city to buy the building.”
Edwards has since filed for bankruptcy. He must pay $268,750 that Judge Christine Farrington ruled he had to repay the city for illegally working as the deputy business administrator. The city’s new business administrator, Chris Hartwyk, has developed a multi-million deal to redevelop the old YWCA site that will hopefully pay for itself in the long run. But in the short term, the city has to spend at least $3 million, in addition to the $2.5 million DCA grant, to get the ball moving on Hartwyk’s deal to salvage the old Recreation Center deal.
“The acquisition of the property that we have now has been accomplished through a $2.5 million state legislative grant and there is approximately $1 million of that grant left. It’s a little under $1 million, but that is still available to us,” said Hartwyk on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at the City Council meeting. “So this $3 million that we have in Ordinance 51, at most, we will be going to notes for a short period of time and then that will be paid off and retired by the selected developer.”
Coley, who is now council president, in addition to serving as the East Ward councilman, agreed with Hartwyk that the new YWCA redevelopment project is an overall better deal for the city than the old Recreation Center deal.
“The $2.5 million grant did not cover everything,” said Coley on Wednesday, Nov. 7. “However, two years later, we did not know that, purchasing that building, it was going to transition into this multi-use development that were going to get over 100 units, a state-of-the-art facility where young people can use it, seniors can use it, people like myself can use it and will use it.”
Coley said the new YWCA redevelopment deal will cost a little extra money than what was previously spoken about but, in the long run, it will be a boon to the entire Orange community.
“All I can tell you man, that was 2016, this is 2018. One thing that most black people are good at is politicking, but you have to also be exceptional at governance and this right here is governance. This right here is putting your personal differences aside and looking at the betterment for the entire community. We’re making it happen,” he said, giving credit to the business administrator, “the administration, everyone on the governing body here — because, when this deal is done, hopefully, we can break ground within the next six months or so. I don’t know how soon we’re going to break ground, but once we break ground, I will definitely be in that picture and my face will be in that picture somewhere framed up for years to come.”
Regarding the earlier attempt, Coley said, “The Rec Center deal did not work out and all I can say is, now we are moving past that. We are moving past that and I do know this; if you continue to drive down a road and look in your rear view mirror, you’re not going to get far. I’m looking straight ahead, man. What’s in the rear view is in the rear view. But what’s ahead is only great and amazing things to come. Eyes on the prize.”
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