Lawrence Council to pursue community-led review as HomeFront prepares to vacate community center

Lawrence Township officials on July 16 said they will pursue a community-driven review of the Lawrence Community Center’s future after the nonprofit that has run the site, HomeFront, is scheduled to vacate on Sept. 30.

Mayor Farmer told residents, "September 30th is is the date upon which HomeFront is vacating that," and said the township must decide whether the recreation department, a community advisory board or another governance model should run the facility.

Why it matters: The center has long served as a neighborhood hub for programming, recreation and civic life, and residents who read a white paper into the record urged that future governance preserve community control. The white paper traces the center’s history and recommends four actions: create a community advisory board, include residents in renovation planning, expand programming to meet current needs, and hold ongoing town-hall engagement.

What council said and next steps: Council members and staff said the township will form a small ad hoc committee that will include the mayor, the recreation-committee liaison, the recreation superintendent and the town manager, along with community representatives, to develop options and a timeline. Councilman Kaki and others said they want broad outreach across the township rather than a process limited to a single neighborhood.

Town Manager Mr Ninski told the council the recreation department, as currently staffed, cannot operate a full community-center program while maintaining its other responsibilities. Council members said renovation work is already being planned and estimated an initial closure for improvements of roughly four to six months; the council asked staff to return with a more detailed plan at the Aug. 20 meeting.

Funding context: Speakers noted the township previously contributed to HomeFront’s operation; one comment in the meeting record said the township provided about $100,000 per year to support HomeFront’s administration of the center. Councilors and staff discussed exploring grant opportunities and whether the center should operate as a township-run facility or an independent nonprofit that can pursue outside funding.

Public input and local proposals: During public comment, a resident who identified themselves as "J" read the white paper recommending community governance. Another resident, Matt Sher, used the public-comment period to propose a separate town ordinance to allow a voter referendum on ranked-choice voting if New Jersey authorizes municipal RCV — an item councilors noted but did not take action on at the meeting.

Other council business: The council approved several routine items, including adoption of Feb. 6 minutes, awarding rehabilitation contracts under the affordable-housing program (one contract recorded at $2,775 and another at $28,500 as stated in the meeting record), and introducing or adopting ordinances to revise a municipal-parking-lot description, condense the municipal-judge salary schedule, and allow a hotel/motel alcohol-license exception for JSK Princeton LLC (Red Roof) if it meets state Alcoholic Beverage Control requirements. Those items passed by roll-call vote of the members present.

Concerns and executive session: Several residents raised separate concerns during public comment — including reductions in bulk-trash service, replacement trash-can sizes, and a request for public transparency about an unresolved personnel/administration matter that the mayor said remains under review and will be discussed in executive session.

What’s next: Councilors said staff will draft a proposed committee structure and a renovation plan and report back at the Aug. 20 council meeting. No final governance decision was made on July 16; the council will present community-informed options before taking any binding vote.