Guttenberg officials are exploring the possibility of building a multi-purpose recreational facility inside North Hudson Braddock Park adjacent to the township’s existing Little League field. The facility would enable residents to have outdoor supervised recreation activities. According to Councilman Javier Inclan, who used to serve as a recreation coordinator for the township, there was a similar lease plan in 1995 but it was scrapped when former mayor Peter LaVilla took office. “Barbara Lawton of The Funding Group, who serves as our grants coordinator, applied for a grant in 1995 to build four basketball courts near the Little League field,” Inclan said. “But the application was removed by the previous administration. We had the go ahead, but before it got to final approval, it was removed. But Barbara contacted me and asked if we would be interested in doing something like this again. She knew that I was involved in recreation before. Last Thursday, I asked the council to put it on the agenda and inquire about it.” Inclan said that the entire idea is still in the talking stages and that nothing has been officially presented to Hudson County Parks officials. Any such lease deal would require approval from the county. “It’s very preliminary,” Inclan said. “There have been no discussions with anyone. We’re just looking into the possibility.” According to Inclan, the plan would call for the township to apply for a low-interest (2 percent) loan to offset the cost of the project, and the township would have to fund the rest of the cost. Because Guttenberg does not qualify for Green Acres funding, assistance could not come from the state’s primary park funding source. Much like the field utilized by the Guttenberg Little League, Inclan said that the new multi-purpose facility, used for basketball, volleyball and roller hockey, would be entirely fenced in and maintained by the Department of Public Works. “Because it’s located inside the county park, we would have to offer the facility for use by non-residents when the facility is not scheduled by our recreation department,” Inclan said. “But the county parks department would have the last say.” Inclan said that if the facility is someday lighted like the Little League field has just become, it could be used by adult leagues at night during the summer months. It also could be the permanent site for youth outdoor recreation activities during the daylight hours. “Right now, we don’t have anything like that,” Inclan said. “We’re extremely limited in what we can do.” Inclan is optimistic that such a plan could become a reality for the township. “I think it can be done,” Inclan said. “It depends how hard we push for it. I think we have a good relationship with the county. We’re very receptive to the idea right now, so we’re going to look into it and bring it to the county’s attention. We have to see if the county would be receptive to it and see if the land is still available. And we really would like to get it done as quickly as possible.”
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