Newark's new recreation center

Jet, August 23, 2004

Newark's new recreation center: Kenneth A. Gibson (I), the former mayor of Newark, NJ, who became the city's first Black mayor in 1970, joins Newark's current mayor, Sharpe James, as they unveil the dedication plaque at the Sharpe James/Kenneth Gibson Recreation & Aquatic Center in Newark. The $16.1 million state-of-the-art recreation center was originally conceived and preliminary designs made in 1985, during Mayor Gibson's administration.

The final design and funding were approved 10 years later by Mayor James. During the dedication ceremony, James, wearing swimming gear and joined by youngsters from the city's swim programs and high school swimming teams, tested the waters at the new center.