The Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA celebrated the grand opening of its newly expanded facility Saturday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured remarks from Assemblywoman Linda Stender, D-Scotch Plains and Scotch Plains Mayor Nancy Malool. F-SP Y Director Karin Dreixler, joined at the ceremony by Trustees Chairman Tom Luciano and Board of Directors President Bob Evans, accepted honorary resolutions from the Fanwood, Scotch Plains and Clark municipal councils. Mayor Malool also proclaimed June 2011 "YMCA Month" in Scotch Plains. Luciano offered remarks that recounted the history of the F-SP Y, which opened in 1947, and credited generations of volunteers who helped the community center thrive. "Why does our town now have such a great Y asset?" he said. "Give thanks to the keepers of the flame, all those volunteers that had the grand vision of building a YMCA that would make this a great town to raise a family in." Dreixler, who spoke last, thanked the architects at Cornerstone Architectural Group, which designed the facility, and laughed as she presented them with "I Survived…" T-shirts. Donna and Steve Gartner, lead donors of the center’s capitol campaign, were welcomed to the main entrance of the new building and standing beside Karin Dreixler, Tom Luciano and Bob Evans, Donna Gartner cut the red ribbon. The complex’s biggest addition is a 25-yard pool and natatorium, dedicated by the Gartner family to the center’s aquatic staff, coaches and teachers. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests were invited to tour the newly renovated facility. Trustee Anne Flynn said that she was excited to see the completed additions and renovations. "In a big sense," Luciano said as he surveyed the new pool, "it is almost reaching a culmination of a vision that began 60 years ago….Look at how many volunteers have given a lifetime of service. This is a Y that is all about families and that’s why it is so successful." http://bit.ly/jIrGYW
Cornerstone Architectural Group, LLC is proud to be a participant in the 7th Annual PA/NJ/DE Chapter of the International Interior Design Association’s Design Awards Competition. Each year the IIDA recognizes outstanding built work designed by its members in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. This year Cornerstone has submitted the New Jersey Automobile Club’s recently completed AAA Car Care Center in Springfield, NJ. Responsible for execution of the interior design of this facility was Project Designer; Erin B. Jimenez, IIDA in association with interior design consultant; Kiran K. Dhaliwal, IIDA from Design Alternatives, LLC. This project for AAA was the first in the development of a new national prototype in New Jersey, combining their traditional travel services along with their insurance products and full service car care. The facility houses a 15 bay state of the art automobile repair center open to AAA members and the general public. Also, contained in the building are NAPA Auto Parts and Hertz Rent-A-Car counters. This former “Big Box” building sat vacant and unused for several years. Through the New Jersey Automobile Club’s efforts, it became a shining example of adaptive reuse, and creating a facility that combines all of the needs of their members. “Green” approaches to the design, construction, and operation of the facility were paramount considerations. This facility became the first car repair facility in New Jersey to earn “Green Certification” by NJGARP. Competition entries will be judged by a panel of senior design professionals in New York and all entries will be publicly displayed in the rotunda at Liberty Place in Philadelphia prior to the awards ceremony. Winners will be announced at a reception on June 23, 2011 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.
Cornerstone Architectural Group was excited to accept a pro bono commission to design a "Children's Garden Playhouse" for the Middlesex County Master Gardeners. The Master Gardeners is part of the Cooperative Extension program of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). Their mission is to deliver horticultural programs and educational outreach to the general public, including information on garden and landscape care. Master Gardeners receive extensive hands-on and classroom training through Rutgers NJAES on various topic such as plant biology, propagation, soil science, and disease and pest control. This new Playhouse will be located inside the existing Children's Garden located in Davidson's Mill Pond Park in North Brunswick, NJ. The garden offers children seasonal opportunity for hands-on experience in an actual working flower, vegetable, and herb garden. The playhouse will feature a planted extensive green roof, and is designed to educate visitors about core sustainable design principles such as solar orientation, natural ventilation, and effective use of materials. The playhouse will be constructed in the next few weeks for a total cost of less than $2,400 for materials, and with all volunteer labor which will include members of the Cornerstone team. Look for updates on this project in future issues of our blog. 
