Residents Consider Future of Maplewood Woman's Club

Around 50 people expressed their views on potential uses for the Maplewood Woman's Club at a public forum Tuesday.

The forum's goal was to solicit suggestions on possible programs and activities at the property, located at 60 Woodland Road, which the township now officially owns. The session grew out of planning efforts of the Woman's Club Task Force, which is comprised of township officials and others.

Mayor Vic DeLuca, Deputy Mayor Kathleen Leventhal, Township Committeeman Jerry Ryan and Township Engineer Thomas Malavasi were on hand to speak to residents and offer information.

"Noise and traffic," said David Leit, a resident of Woodland Road, when asked his concerns for the building's development. Leit told Patch he and his family had experienced some of the noise and parking problems from private events held at the club. "The music could be heard down the street," said Leit.

However, Leit said after viewing the list of potential uses, which include everything ranging from office or studio space to youth events to concerts and private functions, "most don't seem to be noisy." He said he does not want to see concerts held there, but most potential uses were "not a problem." Leit continued, "I don't care what goes on in there [as long as it is] insulated for sound." He said he had shared his concerns with DeLuca at the forum. "He is aware," said Leit.

There was a slide show of the township's architectural report on the site, architectural drawings of each level of the building and the Task Force’s listing of possible uses. A brochure entitled "FAQs Maplewood Woman's Club" was handed out and attendees were encouraged to fill out a short survey on potential uses for the club.

Keith Hoovler, who is on the board of the Maplewood Strollers, said he hoped to see the building used to support the efforts of local non-profits.

"[The proposed uses] all sound good, I can't choose," said resident Dave Helmkamp. He said he would like to see the club regularly used by the community.

Jonah Zimiles, owner of Words Bookstore, said he would like to see the space utilized for non-profit events (such as a special needs facility), club space and meeting/classroom space. "Don't knock it down to build housing," he said.

DeLuca said some attendees had suggested to him the building was not historically important, and others had said the town needed a parking structure.

Malavasi said the "guts" of the building are strong. "For a 100-year-old building it's in pretty good shape," he said. 

The township will tabulate the survey results and release them to the public, Malavasi said.