BERGENFIELD, NJ --  A celebratory groundbreaking ceremony took place in Bergenfield on Wednesday, May 4, this week, as municipal, police, Borough, and administration staff gathered to kick off the construction of what will be a new, three-story, 30,000 square foot police and municipal building for the Borough. In attendance were Mayor Arvin Amatorio, Council President Buddy Deauna, Council Members Rafael Marte, Ora Kornbluth, Thomas Lodato, Marc Pascual, Hernando Rivera, in addition to a variety of other Borough administrators, engineers, architects, and members of the construction team.

Mayor Amatorio opened the ceremony remarking, "Our new Borough Hall is being built with union labor and will stand for another 100 years representing progress and good government. I want to offer my sincere thanks to all of the council members, without whom this effort wouldn't have been possible, including Council Members Marte, Deauna, Kornbluth, Lodato, Pascual, and Rivera, Borough Administrator Corey Gallo, as well as the many engineers and architects who worked with us to design our new building.”

A crucial part of the decision to construct a new building was the excess of mechanical and structural problems in the existing building due to age, that would have required continued costly maintenance. 

“We were kicking the can down the road for years with the old building,” said Council President Deauna. “It has served us well for almost 100 years but our new state-of-the-art municipal complex will save taxpayers significant money in infrastructure maintenance and massive energy costs.”  

Built to provide various programmatic elements, including municipal police, Borough administration, municipal departments, a courtroom, and council chambers, the design of this facility organizes each function by level – with the police department located on the lower level, municipal offices on the second level, and courtroom and administration spaces on the third level.

Of particular note is the building’s future prominent and ceremonial frontage on North Washington Avenue for civic functions, with a more discreet frontage and a sallyport on a side street for police access. The new design will also feature expanded parking and landscaping.

“This new building will allow all those who work here to better serve the people of Bergenfield for years to come,” said Council Member Kornbluth. 

“Bergenfield deserves first class facilities that support the needs, growth, and development of our residents and employees, and this project delivers on that promise while also meeting our responsibility to lower the burden on local taxpayers,” said Council Member Rivera, who was one of the project’s strongest advocates and a member of its design committee. 

“We’re here to honor the old building as well as reflect on all the hard work it took to get us to this day,” said Council Member Marte. “This is a special day for Bergenfield as our vision is finally becoming reality!”

“Part of our Borough’s mission statement is ​​ensuring that all new developments complement quality of life and be an asset to the community - and that is exactly what we are accomplishing here!” said Council Member Lodato.

“All progress is bittersweet as you must accept the changes that come with it. We will certainly miss the old building but our new borough hall will be a beacon of growth for our borough,” said Council Member Pascual. 

Designed by RSC Architects and incorporating work performed by subconsultants T&M Associates and EvTech Consulting, contractor Epic Management, and construction manager Anser Advisory, LLC, this new facility will be built behind the existing municipal building in phases prior to its demolition in order to maintain important community functions. It is expected to be completed by August 2023, with demolition commencing shortly thereafter.

As John P. Capazzi, AIA, President of RSC Architects, noted, “This new facility is offering a thoughtful and organized program for the Borough that will serve to improve efficiency, provide a functional layout, and create dedicated spaces for important community employees. It’s always been a focus of ours at RSC to consider how our designs improve user satisfaction and communities at large.”

RSC Architects is an architectural firm that provides programming, planning, architectural design, interior design, and construction administration services. Anser Advisory is a national capital program and project advisory firm offering solutions to public and private sector clients implementing capital projects and programs. Epic Management was established in 1971 and has successfully built/managed thousands of projects by providing program and construction management services as a consultant or agent, design/build, construction management, and general construction project delivery services.

For more information on the Borough Hall construction project please visit: https://bergenfield.com/about/new-borough-hall-construction-project

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From L-R: Councilman Marc Pascual, Council President Buddy Deauna, Councilman Hernando Rivera, Mayor Arvin Amatorio, Councilman Rafael Marte, Councilwoman Ora Kornbluth, , Councilman Tom Lodato.

From L-R: Dan Connelly, President of the Anser Advisory Group, Councilman Hernando Rivera Council President Buddy Deauna, Councilman Rafael Marte, Councilwoman Ora Kornbluth, Mayor Arvin Amatorio, Councilman Tom Lodato, Borough Administrator Corey Gallo Councilman Marc Pascual, John Capazzi, President RSC Architects, Ken Mihalik, Senior Project Manager, RSC Architects, and William Morris, Vice-President, EPIC Construction.

BERGENFIELD, NJ -- Mayor Arvin Amatorio was in high spirits Sunday at Conlon Hall as he was joined by residents, volunteers, and sponsors to kick-off his Mayor’s Wellness Campaign 2022, a free statewide initiative that encourages active lifestyles and healthy living through education, fun activities, and community engagement.

“Thank you to all the amazing people who joined me at the kick off event this past weekend and I want to extend a special thank you to the vendors, volunteers, and sponsors who are helping make this incredible program possible,” said Mayor Amatorio. “There’s no better time than Spring to begin making a commitment to improving our health, and together as a community we will live up to the motto that ‘It’s more fun and healthier in Bergenfield!’”

The Mayor’s Wellness Campaign is a statewide community health initiative that provides evidence-based tools and strategies for mayors and community leaders to help their residents achieve healthier lifestyles and improve overall health and wellness in their communities. The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (NJHCQI) has been leading the Mayors Wellness Campaign in partnership with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities since 2006.

Through this partnership, Bergenfield will receive regularly updated tools and strategies to promote health and active living, connections to local partners and volunteer networks to share best practices, information about grants and funding for programs, as well as an opportunity to be designated as a “Healthy Town” by the NJHCQI. 

Sponsors of the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign include the Bergen NewBridge Medical Center, United Martial Arts UMA Taekwondo, H&R Enriquez Accounting Firm, Bergenfield Sariling Atin Asian Grill, World Financial Group, New York Life Insurance, Medicare, Tupperware, the Philippine Nurses Association - New Jersey Bergen Passaic SubChaper, the Jesus Lamb of God Church, the Filipino Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Newark, St. Mary’s Line Dancers Group, Headliners Salon, Glacy’s Salon, Nova Salon, Bergen County BagUpNJ.com, DeLa Russo Eyecare, the Jersey College School of Nursing, the Bergenfield Stigma-Free Committee, as well as the Bergenfield Recreation Department, Health Department, and Department of Public Works.

Some of the highlights of the campaign include Zumba on Mondays at Veteran’s Memorial Park from 6:30 - 7:30 PM, Yoga on Wednesdays from 6:00 - 7:00 PM at Conlon Hall, Walks with the Mayor on Thursdays at 6:00 PM at Cooper’s Pond, and Line Dancing on Fridays from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at Conlon Hall.

For a complete list of events/activities, please visit www.bergenfield.com. If you have any questions or need more information about the campaign or specific events, please do not hesitate to contact the Boro at (201) 387-4055 ext. 6, the Health Department at (201) 387-4055 ext. 5, or Councilman Marc Pascual at (201) 328-7516.

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Please be advised, Mail-in Ballots for the June Primary Election have been mailed to Bergenfield voters with active Vote by Mail requests. Only voters with active vote by mail requests will receive their ballot within 3 days.  Voters with active requests who do not receive their ballot by 5/2/22 should call 201- 336-7020 to request a duplicate. 

BERGENFIELD, NJ -- Bergenfield Mayor Arvin Amatorio was joined recently by Councilman Rafael Maerte, Borough Administrator Corey Gallo, Fire Department Captain Robert Byrnes Jr., and Borough Risk Manager Ezio Altamura at the annual Bergen County Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) Safety Incentive Awards Ceremony, as he accepted the “Platinum Certificate of Achievement” on behalf of the borough. This is the JIF’s highest award and Bergenfield was one of only eight cities to receive it, given in recognition of the borough’s safe employee work environment as well as its exceptional training of staff.

“I was extremely honored and proud to receive this award on behalf of the borough,” said Mayor Amatorio of the award ceremony. “Bergenfield is consistently ranked as one of the safest places in America and our record speaks for itself…this is truly an ideal place where people feel comfortable and confident in raising their families.”

“This is a tremendous accomplishment and without question demonstrates our borough's continued pledge to educating our employees best practices and the value of workplace safety,”  “Bergenfield has deservedly earned a reputation as being a community where both residents and employees can have peace of mind because of our professionalism, courtesy, and commitment to safety.”

Bergenfield is one of 38 cities who participate in the JIF, which is a consortium of cities that have regionalized to provide their own cost effective property and casualty insurance as well as workers compensation insurance. As the oldest municipal joint insurance fund in the state, the impetus of the regionalization effort is to avoid costly insurance premiums through risk management and safety programs. The JIF is regulated by the state’s Department of Banking and Insurance and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.