A special Mayor’s Task Force has been appointed to help determine the future use of the vacant Lawrence Community Center at 295 Eggerts Crossing Road.
Mayor Patricia Hendricks Farmer appointed the task force, which will hold its first meeting on Dec. 4. It was created by a resolution approved by the Lawrence Township Council last month.
The task force includes representatives from civic, community and faith-based organizations that have had a long-standing relationship with the center, dating to its founding in 1965, Farmer said.
Those organizations include the Eggerts Crossing Civil League, the Eggerts Crossing Village affordable housing development, the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, Lawrence Neighbors Together and the Mercer County Hispanic Association, Farmer said.
The Lawrence Community Center building has been empty since HomeFront Inc., which had leased the building from the township, relocated its services to its expanded headquarters at 1880 Princeton Ave.
HomeFront provides food, shelter, clothing and other assistance to families in need. It offered some of its programs at the Lawrence Community Center, but opted to move them to its Princeton Avenue headquarters.
HomeFront’s actions triggered the need for the task force and for a study of the existing conditions of the building. A consultant has been hired by township officials to review the conditions in the building and recommend improvements.
The Lawrence Community Center at one time was known as the Lawrence Neighborhood Service Center. It has been a cornerstone of the Eggerts Crossing neighborhood since its inception in 1965, and later expanded its services to the broader Lawrence Township community.
The Mayor’s Task Force will advise the Lawrence Township Council of residents’ concerns, and address the mission statement and future vision of the center, according to the resolution.
Its goal is to engage the community to ensure that decisions about the center reflect the needs of the Lawrence Township community, and to preserve the center’s legacy for all township residents.
“The goal of the task force is to provide Township Council with community input and give voice to any concerns from the community regarding the transition from a service non-profit organization to municipal management of the center,” Farmer said.
The task force will meet at least four times per year. It will disband after any final report is presented to the Township Council, unless it is extended by the governing body for another year.
