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County opens $5.3 million Highlands Regional Service Center in West Milford
Summary
County officials opened the Highlands Regional Service Center in West Milford, a $5.3 million site housing public health, behavioral health and senior nutrition services for northern residents; officials said about 85% of the cost came from grant funding and local trades built the facility under a project labor agreement.
Deputy Director Orlando Cruz announced the opening of the Highlands Regional Service Center in West Milford on Friday, calling the new $5.3 million facility a step toward improving access and equity for northern county residents.
"This is about access and it's about equity," Deputy Director Orlando Cruz said at the ribbon‑cutting ceremony, describing a single site where public health, behavioral health and senior nutrition programs will operate under one roof.
The county said the center will provide screenings, immunizations and community health programming through its public health office; mental‑health and substance‑use services through a behavioral health clinic; and meals and programming for older residents through the senior nutrition program. The county director who spoke at the event described colocating the services as a way to increase coordination and better reach Highlands residents.
John Bartlett, a county commissioner, framed the project as a model of intergovernmental partnership. "The shared services agreement between P County and West Milford Township that made this facility possible isn't just a line in a contract. It's a model," Bartlett said, adding that the arrangement combined municipal location with county resources.
A county official said the facility cost $5.3 million and that roughly 85 percent of the total was covered by grants. "Eighty‑five cents of every dollar came from grant money," the official said, naming the American Rescue Plan, a Health Infrastructure Grant, Community Development Block Grant funds, a national opioid settlement grant and a nutrition trust fund as sources. The official said a project labor agreement ensured the construction work went to local carpenters, electricians and plumbers.
Officials invited the county director, the mayor of West Milford and county commissioners, along with local seniors, to join them for the ribbon cutting. Organizers said the site is intended as a permanent local access point for the county's health and senior services.
The ceremony emphasized the project's goals—reducing travel burdens, improving coordination among county programs and keeping construction dollars in the local economy. The program concluded with officials preparing to cut the ribbon and open the center to the public.
