West Orange Gets $1.1M In Federal Funds For O’Connor Park Upgrades

WEST ORANGE, NJ — O’Connor Park in West Orange will get a big facelift with more than a million dollars in federal funding, town officials recently announced.

The grant was part of nearly $7 million in federal funding secured by U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (NJ-10) for community projects around Essex County.

Earlier this month, Payne presented a check for more than $1.1 million to Mayor Susan McCartney, CFO/BA John Gross, Recreation Director Bill Kehoe and Deputy Recreation Director Edwin Johnson.

According to town officials, the money will be earmarked for updating and improving the street hockey rink, basketball court, and handball and racquetball courts at O’Connor Park.

The funding will be the final phase of updating all hard-court facilities at the park, which began with the tennis court improvements in 2020.

West Orange officials added:

“O’Connor Park opened in 1974 and was named after Frank O’Connor. He served the town for 40 years in various roles as a town commissioner beginning in the 1920s. Although his professional occupation was a plumbing contractor he also engaged in live acting and made appearances in over 100 local stage productions. He passed away in 1951 at age 84. His portrait is one of several hanging in council chambers and dates to 1937. His great-great grandson Drew O’Connor plays ice hockey for the NHL Pittsburg Penguins.”

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