Baird Community Center to close for renovation

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Baird Community Center will close at the end of the business day on Oct. 10 in preparation for a major renovation of the building. The offices of the Department of Recreation & Cultural Affairs and the South Orange Parking Authority, currently located in the Baird, will be relocating. Both offices will be closed Oct. 11 to 14 and will reopen for business on Oct. 15 in a new location at 298 Walton Ave. in South Orange. The new offices will operate during village business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Due to the renovations, residents who vote in Districts 6 and 8 will be relocated for the General Election on Nov. 5 and future elections. The new location will be the South Orange Middle School, 70 Ridgewood Road, along with Districts 3 and 13. The Essex County Board of Elections will be sending out postcards notifying residents in these districts of the location change.

The planned improvements at the Baird include roof replacement; repairs and restoration of the building exterior, including the replacement of the second-story porch; and a complete renovation of the community center interior. The “new” building will include a beautiful community space and cafe that leads out to the porch, dance and fitness spaces, dedicated art rooms, a multipurpose performance space and a public meeting space. The Pierro Gallery will be housed on the first level in the renovated building. Finally, there will be a two-story field house addition that will include a garage and storage on the ground level and a gymnasium on the second floor.

The Baird Community Center will remain closed for the duration of the renovation and reconstruction, which is anticipated to take approximately two years. The building closure will impact adjacent and related recreation facilities as follows:

• The basketball courts adjacent to the Baird will remain accessible until construction begins later in the year. The courts will fall inside the fenced-in area defining the construction zone.
• The platform courts will be removed from the 5 Mead St. location. It has been determined that these courts cannot be salvaged. The village plans to include new paddle tennis courts in a future project located in an alternate location. The courts will be available for use until construction begins.
• The batting cages located in the garage behind the Baird will be closed as of Oct. 10. The garage will be demolished as part of the project. The site will be the location of a new field house addition to the building.
• The tennis courts are not expected to be impacted by the construction project.
• The park and ball fields are not expected to be directly impacted by the construction project. It is possible that baseball/softball diamond No. 1 will be out of play during part of the project. 

Portable toilets will need to take the place of the public facilities previously accessible at the Baird. Parking may also be affected during certain phases of the project.

  Baird, South Orange Election, South Orange Parking Authority, South Orange Recreation