Mayor Gonnelli Announces Changes, Improvements Planned For Secaucus In 2026

SECAUCUS, NJ — On Thursday, Mayor Mike Gonnelli outlined to Patch a list of all the things he and the town are planning for Secaucus in 2026.

They are as follows:

Secaucus will be adding two new pickleball courts at Shetik Field. The two new courts will be built in the back, where the basketball and tennis courts are. They will be built to the right of the existing tennis courts. No tennis courts or basketball courts will be removed or made smaller for the new pickleball courts. Those will come in the spring or summer.

Also, the new play area will be coming to Schmidts Woods this spring. This is the play area that some residents tried to stop in 2025, saying Schmidts Woods should be left natural and undeveloped. They were unsuccessful.

The town is also planning changes to Buchmuller Park: The back area in the children's playground will be resurfaced. Currently, it is very uneven and bumpy due to tree roots. Also, the town will be removing the children's pirate ship play area and replacing it with adult swings. Yes, swings for adults. Not sure what they will look like. Those will also come in the spring/summer.

The town plans to purchase 236 Meadow Lane to have it be a passive park. Preliminary plans include a trail connecting to the Secaucus Greenway walking trail along the river, and building a small parking lot there.

Gonnelli will work to keep taxes as low as possible in 2026. Secaucus residents saw a tax increase in 2025, but that was because of a 2 percent increase in the school tax (which happens every year), and Hudson County also had a very large tax increase last year. The town of Secaucus had to pay the county $6 million in 2025, but state Sen. Brian Stack, Gonnelli's key political ally, secured a $3 million grant to help offset that increase. Gonnelli said that grant helped tremendously. The municipal tax rate did not increase in 2025, something Gonnelli said he hopes to repeat again this year.

"This year we have the highest rateable base we've ever had before," said Gonnelli Thursday. Rateables are property that has to pay municipal taxes.

What's behind the increase in the town's rateable property? Part of it is all the data centers that have opened in Secaucus in the past two years. There's a very large data center on County Avenue, several on Jefferson Avenue, two on Secaucus Road, one on Emerson Lane and more are coming. They are owned by private data companies. Gonnelli said he welcomes the data centers.

"They don't have any traffic; they are very quiet," he said.

Secaucus Rec wrestling, which has surged in membership and become one of the town's most popular programs, currently practices on the second floor of the Mike Gonnelli Community Center. That will become permanent in 2026, and wrestling will have a permanent office there. Also, the town's Social Services and food pantry will be permanently moving onto the second floor of the community center.

Secaucus is planning numerous road improvement projects. The big ones are Castle Road from Harmon Cove to the train station will be repaved and redesigned. A bike path will be installed on Castle Road from Harmon Cove Towers to the train station.

Improvements will be made to the Meadowlands Parkway bridge by the animal shelter; the bridge will be shut down at some point this summer to allow for the repair work. Bigger changes are coming in 2027 for the bigger bridge next to Harmon Cove Towers; that project is still in design phase.

As the area prepares for the FIFA World Cup this summer, Secaucus Junction train station will be a main drop-off point for people to get to the game. NJ Transit buses will take people from the train station to the stadium. Expect NJ Transit to install a bus-only lane on Meadowlands Parkway.

Gonnelli and Police Chief Dennis Miller increased the size of the Secaucs Police Dept. from 56 officers a few years ago to now more than 80 rank and file officers. The crime rate was down nearly 15 percent in 2025, said the mayor. "We gotta give the cops credit for that," he said. "And as long as I'm mayor we are going to stay a volunteer department."