Hundreds Attend Grand Opening Of Michael J. Gonnelli Community Center

SECAUCUS, NJ — Hundreds of people attended the grand opening Monday night of the Michael J. Gonnelli Community Center, located at 101 Centre Avenue.

The center is not open yet for daily use; that is still several weeks away.

The center will be the town's new home for senior citizen services, the Secaucus Meals on Wheels programs, veterans' events and a meeting place for many other town groups and hubs. It will likely become a hub of civic life in Secaucus.

It is named for a man beloved by many in Secaucus: Mayor Michael Gonnelli, who also celebrated his 70th birthday that same day. Gonnelli had good reason to smile Monday night: He rose from humble beginnings as a DPW worker to become one of Secaucus' most well-liked and enduring mayors. Gonnelli also bounced back from a serious stroke several years ago.

"He knew we needed a new senior center, but he did not want it named after him," said town administrator Gary Jeffas, who said he was "blown away" by how many people attended the grand opening. "It was Councilman (Jim) Clancy who put forward the motion that this building be named after him."

Many residents in attendance carried birthday cards for Mayor Mike. The crowd of 400+ sang "Happy Birthday" to the mayor Monday evening.

"It's all about Mayor Mike," said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, who was in attendance. "He is someone who I bet knows the first and last name of everyone in this room, and knows their kids. When I hear from Mike, it's always about the town of Secaucus, what's best for Secaucus. It's never about him."

The new building replaced the senior center that used to be there, which was torn down a few years ago. It cost about $6.2 million to build this new senior center, three million of which was funded with federal grants, including one million in funds from the American Rescue Plan after the pandemic. It would have been much more expensive, "five times more," to renovate the old senior center, said Jeffas.

Gonnelli thanked the crowd in a short speech, saying in part: "I wish my father and mother were alive (to see this). I miss them dearly."