Three years after the last book was circulated at the old Plainsboro Public Library, the reconstructed building has re-opened as the township’s new Recreation and Cultural Center. Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu and three members of the township committee attended the grand opening on Thursday, September 27, along with other elected officials and about 70 members of the community.
Deputy Mayor Neil Lewis greeted guests entering the building. He said the center has already given the town’s senior community a new venue for gatherings as it already hosted an ice cream social one week earlier.
Those in attendance heard a speeches from Cantu and committeeman Narun Nabi, who serves as the liaison to Plainsboro’s Department of Recreation and Community Services. Among others at the ceremony was Shikha Rastogi, a member of Plainsboro’s Human Relations Council. Rastogi said that later this year she is planning to hold a culturally-themed event for children, possibly to showcase costumes from around the world, at Plainsboro’s newest facility.
The new recreation center features a large open space that can seat up to 200 people as well as a computer training room with 18 workstations. Computer classes for the public (mostly geared towards senior citizens) will be held on-site. The facility also features two new conference rooms that can hold meetings for up to 20 people, as well as the offices for Plainsboro’s Recreation and Community Services divisions,
The cost of the recreation and cultural center was approximately $3,223,000; most of which went into addressing basic structural needs of the old library building such as a new roof, heating and air conditioning, and siding.
At the ceremony Mayor Cantu spoke about major funding behind the new recreation center, which is expected to be primarily an amenity for the people of Plainsboro rather than a revenue-generating operation. “This building came with the bonus of reducing the impact on our taxpayers because of the support that we received from the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders. They came through with a $1 million grant for this facility,” Cantu said.
The mayor thanked Middlesex County Freeholder Deputy Director Ronald Rios, who attended the ceremony, and asked him to express the town’s gratitude to his fellow board members. Rios told the crowd that the $1 million in funds came from the county open space, recreation and farmland, and historic preservation trust fund.
