What we know about Bloomfield’s purchase of the former site of Essex County’s Bloomfield Tech high school

Bloomfield township purchased the former Essex County vocational high school property known as Bloomfield Tech in Bloomfield, N.J., for $10 million in December 2023—nine months after Essex County bought the same property for $100—raising questions among residents about the deal’s timeline, intentions, and building’s future use.

Bloomfield will host a webinar discussing the Bloomfield Tech property at 209 Franklin St. on Mar. 31 here. You can submit questions for the webinar by emailing the Bloomfield mayor’s office at ecirne@bloomfieldtwpnj.com by 12 p.m. on Mar. 31. You can CC The Jersey Bee at connect@jerseybee.org.

The Jersey Bee received questions about the development of the Bloomfield Tech site through our virtual reference desk and produced a timeline of events to share what we’ve learned.

2015-2016

In June 2015, Essex County officials announced plans to close Bloomfield Tech High School and North 13th Street Tech in Newark by 2018 to create a new vocational school in Newark, Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology.

According to county officials, Bloomfield Tech was closed because of its outdated facilities and high maintenance demands.

Construction for Payne Sr. Tech began in 2016.

2016-2017

The Bloomfield schools superintendent said in a 2024 email that the board attempted to start “good-faith” negotiations and due diligence between 2016-2017, but no time since has “the municipality…offered the Votech facility…in any good faith effort that could be negotiated and budgeted.”

2023

Essex County Schools of Technology Board of Education approved the sale of its Bloomfield Tech property to Essex County for $100 on March 13, 2023. According to the resolution, the sale was made because the building “is no longer desirable or necessary for school purposes for reasons including but not limited to the completion of the District’s renovations to its Newark Tech Campus.”

Essex County purchased the building on June 28, 2023 for $100.

Bloomfield Town Council approved a $36,000 award to contracting company T&M Engineering  on September 18, 2023 to provide concept plans to construct a recreation complex at 209 Franklin Street. The ordinance to acquire the building for recreation, open space, and related public uses was introduced during this meeting. According to the meeting minutes:

“Mayor Venezia stated for the record that this property is being acquired from the County, and not the County Vocational Schools. He stated that the Town is purchasing the Vo-Tech School property, tearing the building down, and making it open space for recreational activities and an athletic facility as the opportunities are endless. Instead of the building sitting there like the building next door; they feel that this area desperately needs open space and it will do a lot for community.”

Bloomfield Town Council approved the purchase of Bloomfield Tech during its October 30, 2023 meeting. Initial plans for the building included “recreation/athletic facility, open space, and related public uses,” according to the ordinance.

Bloomfield formally purchased the building on December 13, 2023 for $10 million using Federal American Rescue Plan Funds. Essex County sold it at this price to help pay Essex County Schools of Technology District’s incurred debt from building the Donald Payne School of Technology and expanding West Caldwell Tech and Newark Tech, according to an email Essex County Public Information Director Anthony Puglisi wrote to The Jersey Bee.

2024

Bloomfield Town Council approved a $36,000 award to contracting company T&M Engineering on March 25, 2024 to provide concept plans to construct a recreation complex at 209 Franklin Street.

Former Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia wrote in a Facebook post on August 20, 2024, that the building was purchased to manage stormwater in addition to its intended recreational use. 

A township stormwater and drainage study from September 9, 2024 also listed the property as purchased for stormwater management.

Bloomfield Mayor Jenny Mundell sent a letter to Bloomfield Superintendent Sal Goncalves on November 19, 2024 suggesting school-related uses for the property, including a pre-K program.

2025

In February 2025, a spokesperson for Bloomfield Mayor Jenny Mundell wrote in an email to The Jersey Bee that the site had been considered for flood mitigation during early discussions of its use.

Negotiations with the Bloomfield school district are part of the township’s ongoing process to determine the best use of the property, according to the spokesperson. The Jersey Bee contacted Bloomfield Superintendent Sal Goncalves twice by email and once by phone for comment. Goncalves did not respond.

The Bloomfield mayor’s spokesperson said community members will be able to share feedback and input on the building’s potential uses during public meetings and that the township is gathering information and costs of each option before presenting them to the public.

Ways to get involved

Bloomfield plans to host a webinar on the development of the former Bloomfield Tech property Mar. 31. You can submit questions for the webinar by emailing the Bloomfield mayor’s office at ecirne@bloomfieldtwpnj.com by noon on Mar. 31. (You can also CC The Jersey Bee at connect@jerseybee.org.)

View the Bloomfield township meeting calendar to attend other public meetings. Bloomfield Town Council typically meets every other Monday, Bloomfield Planning Board typically meets every other Tuesday, and Bloomfield Zoning Board typically meets every other Thursday. Find the meeting schedules with agendas, times, and locations here.

Learn how to prepare for a public meeting. Each governing board in New Jersey holds public meetings. A portion of these meetings are dedicated to hearing comments and questions from the public. The Jersey Bee produced an explainer to help communities understand their rights while attending public meetings.

Learn how municipal zoning and planning works. Planning and zoning boards make decisions about what gets built where in every town and city in New Jersey. Read The Jersey Bee’s explainer on how these decisions are made and ways to get involved in Bloomfield.