Kearny council approves Green Acres grant application to expand Riverbank Park boathouse

At its regular meeting the Town of Kearny Mayor and Town Council voted to submit a Green Acres grant application to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection seeking $1,400,000 for improvements at Riverbank Park, including an addition to the Kearny crew house and a new Hartung Recreation storage building.

The application, filed under Resolution 2025-67, would fund a second-floor addition to the existing single-story masonry boathouse at 925–927 Passaic Avenue to create training spaces, offices, locker rooms and toilets, make the building ADA-accessible with stairs and an elevator, reorganize three garage bays for storage and demolish a small south-side garage that cannot be reused in place because of flood-elevation rules, architect Jeff Schlicht said.

The project matters to the community because the existing boathouse is shared by several local high-school programs and has long been overcrowded, speakers said. “If we increase our space, Belleville can have their own bay, Nutley can have their own bay,” said David Pyszkevich, who described the boathouse’s history and urged local-first use while billing other towns for access. Several other residents and parents pressed the council to include coaches and longtime maintenance staff in final design decisions and to preserve indoor boat storage to protect $30,000–$50,000 shells.

Schlicht, a principal at RSC Architects, told the council the current plan would free up one garage bay for storage by building above the existing footprint, add an elevator and stairs for accessibility and replace exterior pavement and sidewalks. He said the team is pursuing the Green Acres grant while continuing engineering and permitting work and noted floodplain constraints could require elevating or moving demolished structures about three feet landward.

Public commenters made several recurring points: keep Kearny residents’ needs front and center in the design; ensure female athletes have separate locker rooms and showers; preserve indoor storage so teams can protect expensive shells; and consult current coaches and longtime maintenance staff on practical layout issues. Residents also noted potential economic benefits if the facility can host regional regattas.

Councilmember discussion and the motion to file the grant application were taken at the same meeting hour. Mayor Doyle moved the resolution; Councilmember Echols seconded. The council approved the motion by voice vote. After the vote the mayor recessed the meeting briefly, noting the boathouse discussion was concluded.

Next steps discussed publicly: the town will complete the Green Acres application, continue engineering and floodplain coordination, and return with more detailed design information if the grant is awarded. Schlicht said no building elevations or final renderings were available at the public hearing stage; the presentation focused on the program, constraints and the grant request.

Supporters said the project offers both recreational and heritage value given Kearny’s rowing history; commenters recommended the council require that off‑site user groups pay for use rather than rely solely on Kearny taxpayers. The application as discussed requests $1,400,000 and lists no local match in the presentation.

Votes at the meeting recorded the council’s approval to submit the Green Acres application; details of further design, bidding and construction will return to the council for approval if the grant is awarded.