State Of Essex County 2016: Jail Consent Orders, Job Training, Park Improvements, Hilltop, School Awards

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. presented the 13th annual State of the County Address on Monday, Feb. 22, at the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove.

During the address, county officials outlined local achievements and improvement projects completed last year, discussed services and programs offered by Essex County and announced plans for 2016.

According to county officials:

• The Essex County Vocational Technical School District had a “very productive year,” with Bloomfield Tech earning its second National Blue Ribbon Award and Newark Tech receiving its first.
• In “an effort to better prepare young adults between the ages of 17 and 24 for the workforce,” the Department of Citizen Services and Economic Development, Training and Employment relocated youth-oriented programs at one site in the new One-Stop Youth Resource Center. This includes the Juvenile Day Reporting Center, which places clients in a structured program that offers mainstream educational and personal growth opportunities.
• The Division of Welfare - which will be renamed as the Division of Family Assistance and Benefits – incorporated national strategies, such as case banking, in an effort to better serve clients. Coupled with the restructuring of office space, this has “helped the division improve its processing of food stamp applications from a 65 percent rating to 95 percent,” according to county officials.
• At the Correctional Facility, a pilot program called “Staying Connected” was launched that “helps support soon-to-be released inmates with treatment, education, employment, healthcare, housing and family connection support.”
• In the parks system, “modernized” playgrounds were opened in Weequahic, Brookdale, Glenfield and Branch Brook parks and the South Mountain Recreation Complex. In addition, the West Side Park Community Center was renovated and upgrades were made at Weequahic and Francis Byrne golf courses.

DiVincenzo also noted that several long-standing issues facing Essex County were resolved during the past 13 years, including having two Federal Consent Orders over the Correctional Facility and Juvenile Detention Center lifted, reopening the Historic Courthouse, developing the former United Hospital site, preserving land at Hilltop, selling the SoHo property and building a modern Hospital Center.

“Our administration has had many accomplishments, achieved through the teamwork and vision of an outstanding group of department and division directors, and the contributions of our 3,500 employees,” DiVincenzo said. “Together, we have committed ourselves to improving the quality of life for our communities, to do more with less and continue good management and best practices from year to year.”

According to county officials, plans for 2016 include:

• The renovation and expansion of the Essex County West Caldwell Tech Campus
• The development of new playgrounds in Belleville Park, West Side Park, Riverbank Park and Independence Park, and upgrades to fields in Weequahic and Vailsburg, as well as Irvington Park
• The erection of a statue of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin in Monte Irvin Orange Park and a statue of a canine at the Essex County Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial to symbolize the dogs who assisted with the rescue and recovery after the attacks
• The development of 77 acres of Hilltop property as Cedar Grove Park
• The opening of an African Adventure Exhibit featuring giraffes, a new café building and enclosed pony ride trail and the creation of a Sea Turtle Recovery Center at Turtle Back Zoo

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Photo courtesy of Glen Frieson