Hoboken Recreation 'Town Hall' Forum To Be Held By Councilman And Mayoral Candidate

HOBOKEN, NJ — After Hoboken's YMCA closed in 2010, it took 15 years for the city to announce that a partnership might someday reopen it for residents, and reopen its pool as well.

In fact, promises about a public pool in Hoboken date back years, as do promises for a Hoboken-based recreation camp, citizen recreation advisory committee, and more.

Hoboken's Cultural Affairs Division added summer arts programs for kids of all ages for the first time this year, announced a few weeks ago.

Councilman and mayoral candidate Michael Russo, hoping to get more ideas from residents about the city's recreational needs, says he's hosting a public forum Wednesday night to get feedback.

"Appetizers will be served, and Hoboken residents and stakeholders are invited to come share their thoughts," he said. Registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1....

He also ran a survey last year about whether Hoboken's public recreation services were meeting residents' needs.

The results of the survey, unveiled last month, drew a range of responses, with several comments addressing the timing of recreation announcements and lack of scheduling during signups.

“Programs are opened on RecDesk too late in the season...people have already made plans by the time they are advertised," said one person, while another said that signups lack a schedule so parents can plan around them. (Summer recreation programming is Hoboken is often announced in late spring, whereas some area towns announce theirs in winter.)

Another person said there were too few programs for seniors with disabilities.

Find out about Russo's recreation plan here.

Read a story about mayoral candidate Ruben Ramos' plan for more partnerships for summer recreation here.

Read a previous story about Hoboken recreation here.