East Brunswick Community Arts Center Expansion Set To Begin This Fall

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The long-planned expansion of East Brunswick's Community Arts Center is set to begin this fall, Mayor Brad Cohen announced at Monday's council meeting, marking a new phase for a project that has been in the works for several years.

"Many of you know that the township received grant money from the state of New Jersey to do an expansion," Cohen said. "That project is slated to begin this fall, right after East Brunswick Day. That's completely paid for by the money that was obtained from the grant that was given to us by the state."

According to Cohen, the expansion will primarily focus on enlarging the center's outdoor stage. The project also includes re-pitching the surrounding area to improve seating, along with upgrades to lighting and sound systems, changes officials say are intended to enhance the experience for performers and audiences alike at outdoor events.

Cohen said township officials deliberately chose to hold off on construction until the fall, in part to avoid disrupting East Brunswick Day and other summer programming at the center, while still leaving enough time to substantially complete the work before the calendar turns.

"We wanted to not start till the fall, and we wanted to give enough time that they could complete the project before the end of the year," Cohen said. "So we're being aggressive, but we're hoping that that's the case. But that is no money coming out of general funds. That's completely grant funded."

Cohen emphasized that the project carries no cost to local taxpayers beyond the state funding already secured, distinguishing it from initiatives that draw on the township's general fund.

The township has been laying the groundwork for the expansion for several years. In February 2022, Cohen said the township had already received $750,000 of a $1 million state grant for the project and that architectural renderings for the expansion were being developed at the time. More than four years after that funding began flowing, the project is now positioned to move from planning into construction.

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