FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Anthony Puglisi
October 7, 2009 973-621-2542
Lauren Shears
973-621-1590
ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO DEDICATES
“ESSEX COUNTY WALLY CHOICE COMMUNITY CENTER” IN HONOR OF
MONTCLAIR GRASS ROOTS LONGTIME PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
$1 Million Project to Revamp Football Field and Two Softball Field is Completed
Montclair, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. gave tribute to a beloved community leader by dedicating the recreation building in Essex County Glenfield Park in Montclair as the “Essex County Wally Choice Community Center” on Wednesday, October 7th. Montclair resident Wally Choice received the honor for his 42 years of service as President and Executive Director of Montclair Grass Roots, a community organization that has provided recreation and educational enrichment programs for children.
“I have known Wally Choice for many years and see the positive influence he has had on young people. Under his leadership, Montclair Grass Roots has provided productive activities for residents of all ages, helped stabilize Montclair’s Fourth Ward and been a unifying force throughout the township and Essex County,” DiVincenzo said. “For much of his life, Glenfield Park has been like a second home for Wally Choice. He has volunteered countless hours and been an invaluable partner with the County to enhance the park’s beauty and rebuild its recreation facilities. We are proud to name the park building in his honor as a way of saying thank you and reminding future generations of his many contributions,” he added.
“ Glenfield Park has been like my home. I remember spending more time playing on the basketball court during my junior and senior years in high school,” Mr. Choice said. “The best thing we can do is to give back to our community. You don’t have to go to California to start a program. It’s more meaningful if you start it in your own backyard,” he said about his reasons for coming back to Montclair after his basketball career.
Mr. Choice also shared a special moment with his wife, Celine. “Everyone needs an anchor, someone who will be at your side at all times,” Mr. Choice said. “After I graduated from Indiana, my mother said the only thing she could see that I brought back was my wife. That will be true as long as we both live,” he added.
“Growing up, little did I know how much an honor and privilege it would be to go through life with the same name as my father. His positive and giving life has been an example for me,” Wally Choice, Jr. said. “Dedicating the field house to him is a fitting honor. I thank Joe DiVincenzo for being persistent to make this happen. I know it wasn’t easy to convince my father to accept this honor,” he noted.
Mr. Choice was born and raised in Montclair, and grew up just a few blocks away from Essex County Glenfield Park. After going to college and playing several years of professional basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters and the Eastern Professional League, he returned to Montclair and started his own business. In 1968, he was one of the founding members of Montclair Grass Roots, a community-based organization dedicated to providing quality summer recreation and enrichment programs for children. In addition, Montclair Grass Roots has been a link between the Township of Montclair and the County of Essex, has brought various groups together to address community issues and reach solutions that enhance the quality of life for all residents. It continues to collaborate with Essex County, the Township of Montclair and a host of volunteer community groups to provide year-round activities for residents of all ages, from children to senior citizens.
In addition, Essex County has partnered with Montclair Grass Roots to apply for and obtain grant funding from the New Jersey Green Acres program and Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund to support improvements in Essex County Glenfield Park. Projects include modernizing the football field and two softball fields that were recently completed and reconstructing the basketball and tennis courts and enhancing the entranceways and landscaping in 2006.
“We are all moved today. Wally Choice represents a generation of people on whose shoulders we stand,” NJ State Senator Nia Gill said about the positive influence Mr. Choice has had on generations of children. “You represent the best that your generation has to offer and how you instructed us how to live our lives,” she added.
“Mr. Choice, we are proud of what you do. It’s what you have done for the children that counts,” Freeholder President Blonnie Watson said. “When everyone wanted to give up and turn their back on our children, you stayed and made a difference,” she added.
“ Wally Choice helped change Montclair for the better through love, affirmative action and dogged determination,” Montclair 4th Ward Councilor Renee Baskerville said. “We all are indebted to you because you built a foundation on which many of us stand today,” she noted.
Also praising Mr. Choice at the ceremony were 104-year-old Richard L. Owens, who serves as President of Montclair Grass Roots, NJ State Senator and Essex County Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz, Sheriff Armando Fontoura, Freeholder Vice President and Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser, Montclair Mayor Jerry Fried, Montclair NAACP President Ruth C. Taylor, former Montclair 4th Ward Councilor Delores B. Reilly and former Councilor Audrey Fletcher. Pastor Elbert L. Maxwell of The Sword of the Spirit Christian Ministries gave the invocation.
Creating Modern Recreation Facilities
During the dedication ceremony, the County Executive also announced the completion of a project to modernize the football field and two softball diamonds. The football field and softball diamond near the community center were upgraded with new irrigation and drainage systems and resurfaced with sod to improve playing conditions. Football and soccer goals were installed on the field. A synthetic grass surface was installed on the softball field in the eastern section of the park. The Essex County logo is sewn into the synthetic grass surface behind home plate and sports lighting was installed on the synthetic surface softball field to allow for nighttime play. In addition, a new flagpole was erected at the Maple Avenue entrance, some pathways and water fountains were repaired, landscaping enhanced, signage improved, perimeter drainage improved, and benches and trash receptacles installed. Work started in June and took just four months to complete.
Dewberry, an engineering firm from Bloomfield, received a $87,535 contract to design the improvements. LandTek Group of New York was awarded a competitively bid contract for $884,820 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works monitored the project’s progress and worked with the contractors to ensure delays are avoided. Essex County worked cooperatively with Montclair Grass Roots to obtain funding from the New Jersey Green Acres Program and Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
Revitalizing Essex County Glenfield Park
In 2006, a major facelift for Essex County Glenfield Park included rehabilitating the tennis and basketball courts, developing a new horseshoe pit, repairing the perimeter wrought iron fence, installing an eight-station exercise course, enhancing the aesthetics of the park entranceways, installing new picnic tables, repairing the community building and field house, and removing dead trees and branches. Essex County partnered with Montclair Grass Roots to obtain funding from the New Jersey Green Acres program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system in the United States. It has been expanded to include about 6,000 acres of land and includes 19 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range, miniature golf course, three dog parks, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Glenfield Park was created in 1910 and is 20.01 acres.