A survey aiming to find out what residents want in a revitalized Lawrence Community Center on Eggerts Crossing Road is being circulated by the Mayor’s Task Force on the Future of the Lawrence Community Center.
Feedback from the questionnaire will help shape the future programs, activities and services to be offered at the Lawrence Community Center, which is located at 295 Eggerts Crossing Road. The building is owned by Lawrence Township.
The deadline to answer the survey questions is May 15. It is available at form.jotform.com/250974422433153 and on fliers advertising a public meeting of the Mayor’s Task Force on May 13 at Lawrence High School.
Mayor Patricia Hendricks Farmer created the task force – with the Lawrence Township Council’s approval – to determine the future use of the center. It has been vacant since October 2024.
The survey, which is available in English and Spanish, asks respondents about what they believe should be the primary mission of the Lawrence Community Center.
It asks them to rank – from most desired to least desired – examples of potential programs that could be offered. The programs include youth and adult sports leagues, community meetings and cultural events, and after-school tutoring and mentoring.
Potential programs also might include a community resource fair, an open gym for teens and adults, a food pantry, life skills workshops and veterans and senior citizens assistance programs.
Also, the survey asks respondents how often they visited the Lawrence Community Center when it was active, and how often they would anticipate visiting a revitalized community center if it offered programs that appealed to them.
It asks about the biggest challenges or barriers that would prevent respondents from using the Lawrence Community Center – lack of awareness of programs, scheduling conflicts, transportation, and the cost of programs and activities.
It seeks to find out from respondents the days and times they would prefer for activities to be offered – mornings, afternoons or evenings on both weekdays and weekends.
The survey results will be analyzed – along with data from the May 13 community meeting – and presented in a report to the Lawrence Township Council, tentatively set for June 3.
The Lawrence Community Center building has been empty since HomeFront Inc., which had leased the building from Lawrence Township, relocated its services to its expanded headquarters at 1880 Princeton Ave.
HomeFront’s actions triggered the need for the task force and for a study of the existing conditions of the building. A consultant was hired by township officials to review the conditions in the building and make recommendations.
The Lawrence Community Center was formerly 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.
