2 minutes reading time
Mayor of Paterson unveils mural by Larry Doby
Mayor Andre Sayegh speaks to the media as he unveils the new Larry Doby mural at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson on October 17, 2019. Mitsu Yasukawa/
North Jersey
PATERSON – The New Jersey State Legislature has allocated $2 million to build a recreation center in the city, a small first step toward reviving Mayor Andre Sayegh’s stalled plans for such a facility.
Sayegh never made much progress on the recreation center after allocating $19 million from Paterson’s American Rescue Plan COVID relief funds to the project in 2021.
In June, the Sayegh administration ran out of time to use federal funds for the recreation center and shifted the money to other programs. At the time, the mayor said he would seek a partnership with a private company to build the recreation center.
The story continues below the photo gallery.
So far, Sayegh has not publicly disclosed any other sources of funding for the initiative.
The $2 million allocation came to light last week when the state announced its 2025 budget allocations for special legislative proposals, an annual practice disparagingly referred to by critics as election giveaways and euphemistically described by Trenton insiders as “Christmas tree gifts.”
Several other projects in Paterson received unexpected grants from the legislature:
- $5 million for unspecified capital improvements at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center.
- $4 million for the Paterson-based New Jersey Community Development Corporation’s plans to expand its youth center on Front Street. The budget also includes an additional $1.125 million for that project.
- $1.5 million for improvements to the Larry Doby baseball field in Eastside Park.
- An additional $500,000 for the CUMAC food distribution center in Paterson, in addition to an original allocation of $250,000.
Where would the recreation center be built?
Sayegh’s initiative for a recreation center remains in limbo, despite the $2 million he received from Parliament. The mayor has not yet made an official decision on where to build the facility, nor has he taken any public steps to solicit proposals from potential private partners for the project.
City officials have said they are considering building the recreation center on the site of the dilapidated Paterson Police Headquarters. Under that plan, the city would also build a new public safety facility and parking garage.
Officials acknowledge that such a project would far exceed the $19 million Sayegh wanted to spend on a stand-alone recreation center.
Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, a former Paterson resident, said Friday she expects the state legislature to support funding for the city’s recreation center through funds from several budgets.
