'Carmen Orechio" Essex Park Complex Dedicated
• 500 Attend Ceremonies Honoring Retired Senate President
 |
Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
The honored Carmen A. Orechio stands in the the center of this group that includes the Nutley High School varsity softball team which played and won the inaugural game (against Caldwell) following Thursday's dedication ceremonies. Also seen here (in top row) are Sen. Paul Sarlo, softball coach Luann Zullo, and Assemblymen Ralph Caputo and Fred Scalera. [Several More Photos at end of story below.)
Apr 2, 2010 – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. dedicated the "Essex County Carmen A. Orechio Recreation Complex" in Essex County Yanticaw Park on Thursday, April 1. The honor recognizes the contributions made by Carmen Orechio during his more than 40 years of public service as President of the NJ State Senate and Mayor and Commissioner of Nutley.
The event, attended by approximately 500 persons, also opened Nutley High School's baseball season. The girls varsity played the opening game minutes after the ceremonies concluded on a newly developed synthetic grass softball field in the Orechio Complex. The boys varsity opened its season an hour later on the nearby Park Oval. Both teams won their opening games.
Orechio, in addition to his civic work locally, in Essex County and as president of the N.J. Senate, is well-known as an avid N.Y. Yankee fan.
The dedication Thursday marked the completion of a year-long, multi-phase project overhauling the recreation facilities and infrastructure throughout the Essex County park. The project's development was closely monitored by DiVincenzo personally who is a Nutley resident and a close friend of Senator Orechio.
"I have great respect for Carmen Orechio and all that he has contributed to the Township of Nutley. As President of the NJ Senate and as Mayor and Commissioner in his hometown of Nutley, Carmen's public service career is highlighted by always doing the right thing for our residents. He was a strong advocate for children and senior citizens and his foresight was the driving force in the creation of the Nutley HAZMAT Unit," DiVincenzo said.
"Carmen had a tremendous impact on the development of Nutley and his decisions continue to be felt in the community. Naming this recreation complex after Carmen is a great honor and will remind residents of his role in helping to shape our community," he added.
Orechio Expresses Humility
"I accept this tribute with gratitude and humility, and I thank Joe DiVincenzo, the quintessential County official, for making this day possible," Orechio said. "Few people have living memorials and I am honored that so many people came out to share this day with me and make this such a joyful occasion," he added.
Elected officials from all levels of government applauded Mr. Orechio for his record of public service.
"This is a fitting tribute for Carmen. When he served as Senate President, he brought his love of playing softball to Trenton. During those games, people from throughout the State learned about Nutley and the games were played in this park," Assemblyman Fred Scalera said. "Carmen helped shape the town into what it is today. This is a great recognition, and we have County Executive DiVincenzo to thank for it," he noted.
"Joe DiVincenzo is an amazing leader because he put together the funding for these improvements and saw them through to completion," Assemblyman and Freeholder Vice President Ralph Caputo said. "There is no one better to name this complex after. Carmen has set the example for all elected officials. Look at what a wonderful career and all that he has done for the community," he said. Other State Legislators commending Orechio at the ceremony included Senator Paul Sarlo and Assemblyman Thomas Giblin.
Mayor Cocchiola Addresses Celebration
"I commend Joe DiVincenzo because a lot of work has gone into making Yanticaw a beautiful park," Nutley Mayor Joanne Cocchiola said. "Nutley is a special place because of the men who were committed to serve. Carmen Orechio is known throughout the State because of his 40 years of public service. He is an example of a public servant with a heart of gold," she added.
A lifelong resident of Nutley, Carmen Orechio was first elected to the Nutley Board of Commissioners in 1968 and served as the Director of Public Safety, which includes Police, Fire and Code Enforcement, for 25 years and as the Director of Public Affairs for 12 years.
Carmen Orechio also served three terms as Nutley's Mayor between 1972 and 1996. Mr. Orechio recognized early that public safety could be enhanced greatly with the creation of a regional unit to respond to and address emergencies involving hazardous materials. He oversaw the creation and development of the Nutley HAZMAT Squad, which responds to emergency calls throughout Essex County, and helped provide the resources to enable the squad to develop into one of the premier, cutting edge HAZMAT Squads in the country.
One of his first contributions to civic life was the adoption of the pooper-scooper law that led to his being ridiculed on New York TV stations. New York City, however, soon adopted such a law itself and today states nation-wide are cleaning up after their pets' waste.
In 1973, Carmen Orechio was elected to the New Jersey State Senate and was chosen to serve as Senate Majority Leader in 1981 and Senate President from 1982 to 1985. He chaired the Law Revision and Legislative Services Commission, screening all appointments by the Governor to the Judiciary and Executive branches, and served on the Governing Board of the State Law Enforcement Planning Agency.
During his years in Trenton, Mr. Orechio was a strong advocate for legislation in the areas of health, childcare, senior citizens and law enforcement and is remembered by his colleagues for helping to ease tensions between political parties by organizing informal softball games. He retired from the Senate in 1991.
Carmen Orechio is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Clara Maass Hospital Foundation and the Garden State Cancer Center, President of the Nutley Old Guard and is involved with the Nutley UNICO chapter. He also is the Chairman of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, which is New Jersey's largest distributor of drinking water and a national leader in the development of higher water quality standards and enhanced homeland security measures.
He was presented with the "Keys to Essex County" by County Executive DiVincenzo during the inaugural Essex County Community Stars Award Ceremony in 2008 and was recently inducted into the Nutley Hall of Fame. During World War II, Mr. Orechio served as a member of the U.S. Army in Europe.
Revitalizing Essex County Yanticaw Park
Over the past 10 months, Essex County has been conducting a comprehensive, $2.6 million renovation of the recreation facilities and infrastructure throughout Yanticaw Park. To commemorate the completion of the upgrades to the recreation complex, the Nutley High School Girls Softball Team played its first game of the 2010 season on the newly constructed synthetic surface softball diamond off Park Drive.
"High school teams, municipal recreation athletic programs and senior citizens rely on Essex County Yanticaw Park for recreation opportunities. The extensive upgrades completely modernize the park, enhance access, create public meeting space and provide first-class facilities for our residents," DiVincenzo said.
"I'm excited for our athletes to be playing on this first-class field," Nutley High School Athletic Director Joseph Piro said. "I have known Carmen for as long as I've been around. You deserve having this complex named in your honor because of your long record of service to children and the Township of Nutley. You are what we call a true Nutley Raider," Piro said as he addressed Thursday's ceremonies.
"Park Exceeds My Dreams"
Nutley High School Girls Softball Coach Luann Zullo presented DiVincenzo and Orechio with team game jerseys. "I want to thank Joe DiVincenzo for this wonderful facility. It exceeds my dreams," she noted. "It will be an honor having our home field at a complex that is named for someone like Mr. Orechio. When we step on the field, we will hold our heads high and always do our best to make the town proud," Zullo added.
The five phases of the park project include the following:
(*) Phase 1: The John Henry Walker Field received a clay dirt infield with a synthetic grass outfield, an improved drainage system, new fencing, covered dugouts, a bullpen area, bleachers and handicapped-accessible seating for spectators. The scoreboard was relocated behind the leftfield wall.
The two other fields along Passaic Avenue were re-graded to level the playing field on the two diamonds and address erosion. The smaller field was realigned so there is less overlap in the outfield between the two fields. The fields received new clay infields, natural grass turf in the outfield, drainage and irrigation systems, covered dugouts, fencing and bleachers. In addition, pathways around the fields were improved. Hatch Mott MacDonald engineering firm from Millburn received an $85,000 contract to design the improvements. LandTek Group, Inc. from New York was awarded a competitively bid contract for $1,012,797 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works is monitoring the project to ensure delays are avoided. Essex County obtained funding from a Multi-Park Improvement grant from the New Jersey Green Acres program and a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
(.) Phase 2: Pathways in the western section of the park were repaired and the basketball court was renovated with a new surface, lighting for night play and basketball equipment. A new lighting plan was coordinated with PSE&G and, in the coming weeks, historic light poles will be installed. The design for the lighting and basketball court improvements was included in the first phase contract received by Hatch Mott MacDonald.
JC Landscaping received a competitively bid contract for $631,600 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works is monitoring the project to ensure delays are avoided. Essex County obtained funding from a Multi-Park Improvement grant from the New Jersey Green Acres program and a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
(·)Phase 3: The field house near the softball fields and the restroom building near the playground were renovated. Both structures received modern bathroom fixtures, new windows, flooring, painting and lighting, and the roofs on both structures were replaced. The improvements will enhance public accessibility to the buildings. The building improvements were designed in-house by the Essex County Division of Engineering. Zenith Construction Service, Inc. of East Newark was awarded a competitively bid contract for $454,000 to perform the renovations. The Essex County Department of Public Works is monitoring the project to ensure delays are avoided. Essex County obtained funding from a Multi-Park Improvement grant from the New Jersey Green Acres program and a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
(*) Phase 4: The bocce court was upgraded with a new playing surface and a pavilion over the court was installed for year-round play. Stone swales were constructed to aid in surface drainage. The improvements were designed in-house by the Essex County Department of Public Works. Let It Grow from River Edge was awarded a competitively bid contract for $340,760 to perform the construction work.
(*) Phase 5: In the coming weeks, perimeter fencing will be replaced and new sidewalks along Passaic Avenue and Vincent Place will be constructed, and the concrete steps at Passaic Avenue entrance and the Park Drive entrance will be reconstructed. Decorative retaining walls along Park Drive will be repaired and painted. Decorative lights will be installed in the lower part of the park and additional benches and trash receptacles will be installed. The improvements were designed in-house by the Essex County Department of Public Works. Caro Corporation from Florham Park received a competitively bid contract for $477,425 to perform the construction work.
Frank Cocchiola Playground Nearby
In 2003, the playground near Centre Street was upgraded with new equipment and a rubberized safety surface as part of the County's Executive's initiative to modernize playgrounds in every County park. In 2006, the playground was named the "Essex County Frank A. Cocchiola Playground" in honor of the late Frank Cocchiola, who served on the Nutley Board of Commissioners for 28 years. Pathways were repaired in 2006 and Park Drive was reconstructed and repaved in 2008.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system in the United States. It has been expanded to include about 6,000 acres of land. There are 18 parks, four reservations, a zoo, ice skating rink, environmental center, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, a golf driving range, miniature golf course, three off-leash dog facilities, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Land for Yanticaw Park was acquired between 1911 and 1914. At 28.75 acres, it is the 11th largest park in the Essex system.
