Public Meeting about Riker Hill Art Park Master Plan: January 11

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. and Livingston Mayor Edward Meinhardt will host a public meeting about the Essex County Riker Hill Art Park Master Plan.

The purpose of the meeting is to gather input from the community about what improvements they would like to see at the 42-acre artist colony.

The meeting will be held:

Date: Thursday, January 11, 2018

Time: 7:00 p.m. (promptly)

Place: Livingston Township Hall

357 South Livingston Avenue

Livingston, NJ

“One of our ongoing initiatives has been to continue the revitalization of our historic Essex County Parks System, ensure our facilities meet the needs of our residents, and create new opportunities for the public to experience our open spaces,” DiVincenzo said. “When the Mayor and Council approached us about updating Riker Hill, of course we were very supportive. The meeting will give us an opportunity to listen to the public’s ideas and creating a Master Plan for Riker Hill will help us set priorities to enhance the facility,” he noted.

“Essex County Riker Hill Art Park has long been a hidden gem in our community and we are pleased to be partnering with the County Executive to improve the facility so more people can enjoy it,” Meinhardt said. “The County Executive was very open to our suggestions about Riker Hill, and developing a Master Plan and hosting a public meeting is the first step in this process,” he added.

The 42-acre Riker Hill Art Park was a U.S. Army Nike Missile Base in the 1950s. Essex County purchased the property from the federal government in 1974 and converted the buildings that once housed army facilities into studio space for artists. There currently are 38 artists in residence at Riker Hill Art Park.

The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 23 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, Treetop Adventure Course, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range, two miniature golf courses, paddle boating, three off-leash dog facilities, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens.