PATERSON — Officials unveiled Eastside Park’s renovated cricket clubhouse on Monday, a historic building that had become a haven for squatters when it fell into disrepair in recent years.
The renovations cost $720,000, with $460,000 coming from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and $260,000 from the Passaic County open space fund, officials said.
The building will house a concession stand and bathrooms.
“We’ve been waiting for this for so long,” said Monica Anderson of Paterson, a member of Wanderers Sports Club, which uses the grass area in front the pavilion for its cricket games. “There were so many promises made.”
The cricket club was formed in 1972 and has been using Eastside Park as its home field since its inception, according to its members.
“There were a lot of Wanderers who said we would never get this,” said club member Mike Ramsay of Paterson.
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Officials said the pavilion also would serve fans and players at the Larry Doby baseball field, which is in the same section of Eastside Park.
For more than a decade, the cricket house had been vacant, with its bathrooms closed to the public, officials said. The city completed the first phase of the renovations two years ago, which allowed two of the bathrooms to reopen, officials said.
The second phase included a new roof and access ramps for people with disabilities.
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Councilman Luis Velez cited the problems that occurred when the cricket house was vacant.
“We’re changing a crooked house into a cricket house,” Velez said.
Councilman William McKoy, a leading proponent of the project, said the Paterson police department has made a commitment to make sure vagrants do not return to the facility. He said he also expected community residents will join in that effort.
“I’m confident that when you give people something good, they’re going to take care of it,” said McKoy.
During Monday’s ceremony, Mayor Andre Sayegh said that cricket had been played in Paterson in the 19th century even before baseball games started taking place.
“This is a victory for our community,” the mayor proclaimed.
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