SECAUCUS – The Secaucus Recreation Center has for years been the subject of scorn and ridicule for its $12 million price tag and inability to meet its annual operating expenses.
But the beleaguered facility of Koelle Blvd. now has a reason to hold its head high.
Last week the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association – a nonprofit organization that promotes the parks and recreation industry and advocates public policy and stewardship of parks recreation, resource management, and leisure services – voted to give the recreation center its Class 1 Facility Design Award.
According to the association’s web site, the “excellence is design award is presented for excellence is design of completed recreation and park facilities intended for public use.” Facilities that were eligible for the 2011 award must have been completed between 2007 and 2008.
The Secaucus Recreation Center was completed in 2008.
Design awards are given in categories based on the population of the municipality. The Class 1 award is given to facilities in towns with a population of 20,000 or less.
The Secaucus Recreation Center was designed by John Capazzi, a principal and architect with RSC Architects of Cliffside Park. The firm also designed the Culinary Arts Institute at Hudson County Community College in Jersey City and the Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center.
The New Jersey Recreation and Park Association has recognized outstanding contributions to the field of parks, recreation, leisure services and natural resource management through its Annual Awards Program for the last three decades.
The organization will officially announce all of its 2011 award recipients at a ceremony in March. – E. Assata Wright