"For us in the neighborhood, this is history," said resident Diane Marana, as she watched a yellow excavator claw into the house at 217 New York Ave.
The demolition of the house abutting Hogan’s Park on March 25 marked the park’s first major expansion in more than 30 years.
Mayor John S. Hogan said that the park last underwent significant renovations in the 1970s with the addition of new fields.
Hogan’s Park was dedicated in 1974 in honor of Hogan’s father, former mayor John L. Hogan. Prior to that, it was called Willow Edge Park for the willow trees lining the park edge.
The New York Avenue property adds a third of an acre to the 7.3-acre park.
The borough bought the house from 93-year-old Florence Sterchele, who lived in the house for 47 years.
Sterchele, who had moved to a nursing home, died Thursday, March 20. Her burial was the same day of the demolition.
Borough officials paid for the house with a $350,000 bond they approved in October 2007.
The move to bond ended almost six months of financial wrangling among council members.
Democratic officials feared a developer would snag the property first and pushed for acquisition despite availability of funds. Republican officials cautioned against the use of bonds until the borough gets final approval on two open space fund applications.
The borough awaits final approval from the Freeholders in May. Borough officials received preliminary approval in March from the Bergen County Trust Fund Space Public Advisory Committee for the $350,000 reimbursement of the house and $89,164 for park improvements.
The mayor said there are a "number of ideas with what to do with the property." But the idea at the forefront, he said, would be to move the playground equipment from its present location to where the house once stood.
"It makes sense to move [the playground] away from the field and parking lot," he added.
The space where the playground currently sits could provide space for a passive park area, Hogan said.
In the final hour before demolition, local officials and community members gathered along New York Avenue.
A set of Rio Vista construction vehicles, volunteered to demolish the site, inched toward the back of the house after a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Diance Frohlich, borough finance administrator, watched a bulldozer barrel into the single-story house.
"There goes the kitchen," she said.
Frohlich had visited the house the day before to pull pieces of pine from the bedroom walls. She gave the pieces to Sterchele’s family as souvenirs. "The grandchildren were so excited," she said.
Within minutes the house surrendered to the weight of the Rio Vista excavator, hurtling clouds of smoke and debris.
"We’ll have it all cleared up by the end of the day," said Michael Mavroudis of Rio Vista.
That night, the mayor drove past the site. He said that only the house’s foundation remained, which he said would be carted off by Rio Vista workers the next day.
"And man, it [the park] looked better," said Hogan. "It looked 100 percent better."
E-mail: gonzalezso@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6711
