Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the City of Bayonne, the Bayonne Board of Education, and various community groups are working together to establish a calendar of events at the Bayonne Community Museum. Mayor Smith said, “After several years of renovations, the building is ready to host a variety of events and serve several purposes. As the owner of the building, the City of Bayonne looks forward to offering the facility to interested parties for exhibits, performances, art shows, guest speakers, contests, awards dinners, receptions, public meetings, and other special events. The building may also be available as a catering facility.” Smith continued, “The City of Bayonne will continue to work with the Bayonne Community Museum, Inc, a private, non-profit corporation, to enable it to use the building for its own exhibits and activities. In the years ahead, visitors to the building will be able to enjoy viewing museum exhibits while also enjoying various cultural events at the same time. I would like to thank the members of the museum board for their hard work which has gotten the building ready for public use.”

The City of Bayonne has been working with the Bayonne Board of Education and various community groups to schedule events at the museum, which is located at 9^th Street and Broadway. Several dates have already been booked at the museum for this year. On February 25, the Bayonne Recreation Division will hold its annual “Recspys” Awards dinner at the building. The museum will also host the Recreation Division’s annual chess championship games. Details will be announced.

On May 2 and 3, a local string orchestra will use the building for rehearsals and a public performance. From May 7 through 14, the museum will host the annual Hudson County Alliance of Teen Artists Exhibit. On May 18 and 19, the annual Art Show of the Bayonne public schools will take place at the museum. As was announced previously, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will host several public meetings at the museum during the next few years. Those meetings will concern the reconstruction of the Bayonne Bridge. The Port Authority has donated chairs and tables for use in the building. Details of the Port Authority’s meetings will be announced.

Recently, the City Council awarded a contract for the upgrading of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system at the building. Work is expected to start by late February. City officials said that the museum would still be available for various events during the construction.

Anyone interested in applying to use the museum building should contact Bernadette Nestico at the Bayonne Department of Public Works at 201-858-6070.

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