During the Township Council conference meeting on July 18, former Livingston Mayor Ellie Cohen offered a suggestion for the Council members to consider. Long a supporter of the arts, she has, for many years, championed creating a performing arts center (PAC) in town. The Federated Church of Livingston, located at the intersection of West Mt. PleasantAvenue and North Livingston Avenue, is currently for sale, and Cohen suggested that it may be the perfect location for the town’s PAC.
Is this a feasible option? Maybe. Maybe not. It would be the right size for a local performing arts center, is centrally located along main roadways, and appears to have adequate parking. Of course, there are potential detriments, as well, including the unknown cost of acquiring the land, and if the necessary changes could be made to the grounds, considering there is a cemetery on the land; who would be in charge of maintaining that?
The only way to determine if the Federated Church could become a PAC location would be to take a serious look at it. We believe the feasibility of this idea is worth exploring, especially when the alternative option for the space might end up being additional housing units. The Council, while not committing to anything, seemed open to the idea. Council member Michael Vieira even suggested modeling something in town after the Bergen Performing Arts Center.
Should a purchase of the church not work out, there are other options to consider for a Livingston Performing Arts Center. There has been talk in recent years of turning the former courthouse (then known as the Livingston Violation Bureau, 20 Robert H. Harp Drive) located next to the high school along the Oval into the “Liv PAC.” That building is so old, and relatively small, that it would likely need to be leveled and rebuilt from the ground up. So, perhaps acquiring a more “move in ready” building like the Federated Church is the better option.
Livingston has a great history of supporting the arts and local artists. Groups such as the Arts Council of Livingston and the Livingston Arts Association do a wonderful job of highlighting the work of our talented residents. A PAC could also feature a gallery for their work (Livingston is in need of a permanent home for the ACL Gallery, after all), while creating a defined space for our talented performers.
We know that there are many issues on the table for the Council to contend with, from the future of the pools to managing incoming housing projects. It may seem easy to push the plan for a performing arts center down the road. But there will always be a reason to set this aside; let exploring the possibility of utilizing the Federated Church be the first step in seriously considering how to bring “Liv PAC” to town.
