"When I look at this building, I see opportunity," REED Autism Services CEO Chantelle Walker said at the October 3 ribbon cutting, as REED recounted in its grand-opening post. "A place where teens and adults with autism can build valuable job skills. Where neurodiverse adults can find meaningful, paid employment. And where people of all abilities can come together as part of the same community."
Her words describe what is different about the building at 1 Vichiconti Way. The Franklin Lakes Community Center has reopened with a public gym, a café and space for borough recreation. The people behind the counter and on the gym floor are part of an employment program, so a morning workout or a coffee there is also a shift for someone learning a job. A few months earlier, the borough opened a playground at Pulis Recreation Park built around the same idea. Together, the two projects are the biggest change to Franklin Lakes' public recreation in years, and they share one design principle.
The Lease That Ran Out
The building did not change hands because anyone planned a reinvention. For a decade, the Wyckoff YMCA ran the center under a 10-year lease. When that lease expired, the borough asked for proposals and got them from the YMCA and other groups. Before the Mayor and Council made a decision, the YMCA sent members a flyer saying it would stop services at the center and would not seek to extend its lease, citing the continued uncertainty. That account comes from the borough's own Community Center update.
Residents had their own views about what should come next. A petition started by the Franklin Lakes Football Booster Club, created July 16, 2025, asked the council to "reclaim" the center for local children and recreation. It had 612 verified signatures when the page was captured.
The partner the borough picked was already in town. REED owns and operates REED Academy on Parsons Pond Road, a school for students with autism ages 3 through 21. On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the council introduced an ordinance approving a "Lease Agreement for Shared Use of Franklin Lakes Community Center" with Greens Do Good, a nonprofit associated with REED, and set the public hearing for March 3. That is according to the borough's February 24 newsletter. By March 10, the borough said the agreement was in place, and REED announced that it would take effect April 1.
How the Building Is Divided
The lease does not hand REED the whole building. It divides the space room by room, so the town keeps a recreation base while REED runs the public-facing businesses. The February newsletter lays out the split:
| Space | Who uses it | What happens there |
|---|---|---|
| Large first-floor room | REED runs it, on borough-purchased equipment | THE GYM, with membership open to the public |
| Part of that same room | Borough | Mainly for bad-weather needs and small-group athletic training |
| First-floor café room | REED | Food and refreshments served to the public |
| Most of the second floor | REED | Its own programming, including the REED Next Adult Day Program |
| One second-floor room | Borough | Team meetings, group fitness classes and other programs |
REED's March announcement adds that the center still houses the borough's Recreation Department and continues to host nonprofit meetings, social-skills groups and teen volunteering. In practice, the petition's concern about keeping recreation in the building was partly met by the lease itself. Athletic training, team meetings and the recreation offices all stayed. What changed is who runs the gym and what the jobs inside it are for.
Every Shift Is Part of the Program
This is where the Franklin Lakes center stands apart from a typical town rec building with a tenant. The borough's August 31 newsletter says both the café and the gym provide hands-on job training and employment for teens and adults with autism. It frames the reason directly: an estimated 80 to 85 percent of autistic adults are unemployed or underemployed.
REED has run this model before. Its September 28 post on the café traces Beans Do Good back to Greens Do Good, REED's hydroponic vertical farm in Hackensack. Since 2019, the farm has given hands-on job training and employment to hundreds of teens and adults with autism. At the café, participants make and serve drinks, stock supplies and work with customers. The menu covers gourmet coffee, tea, smoothies and light bites.
The café got part of its funding from the Oritani Charitable Foundation. Its president, Jack Fields, told REED: "My hope is that people come in for a good cup of coffee and leave inspired by what they see happening here." REED's grand-opening post also credits Spectrum Designs, the Columbia Bank Foundation, the Achelis & Bodman Foundation and TD Bank for helping bring the center to life.
Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur, a Franklin Lakes resident, called the arrangement "a true win-win" at the ribbon cutting. She described a space that "will create meaningful job opportunities for young people with unique abilities while providing a beautiful place to bring neighbors together." Mayor Charles Kahwaty also spoke, as did Mark Nicholas, a participant in REED Next, who said, "I'm excited to come here every day to learn, grow and spend time with my friends."
The opening took longer than first planned. In February, the borough expected the fitness center to open to members "likely in June or July." THE GYM had its soft opening on September 1, and the formal ribbon cutting came a month after that.
The Playground Brought the Same Idea Outdoors
The playground's planning began more than a year before the council introduced the REED lease. In January 2025, the borough announced it would close the old Pulis Avenue playground and replace it with a Jake's Law All-Inclusive Playground. The project was funded through NJDEP and the Garden State Preservation Trust under Jake's Law. The state grant was $750,000, covering 75 percent of the cost. The borough's public hearing presentation lists a $250,000 local match, which puts the total project at about $1 million.
The site changed during planning. According to the 2025 hearing presentation, McBride Field was considered first, and the borough moved the project to Pulis Recreation Park after hearing residents' concerns. The plan placed the playground next to the turf field and the Recreation offices, with fencing, cameras and an entrance moved away from the parking lot. The proposed footprint was 134 by 50 feet.
The state law is named for Jake's Place, created in honor of Jacob Cummings-Nasto, as explained on the borough's Jake's Law Playground page. By August 31, the borough said the playground was open and described it as accessible, with equipment designed so children of all abilities can play together. The borough then folded the playground's ribbon cutting into the community center's October 3 celebration, so the two openings shared one day.
Using the Building This Fall
Some details are posted and some are still pending. Here is where each one stands as of mid-October:
- THE GYM's hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, according to REED's gym page.
- The opening offer is a free first month for anyone who joins by October 31. The borough has said membership is open to the public, but regular pricing was not posted on the gym pages reviewed for this article.
- Group fitness classes were expected to start in or around October, run by qualified instructors, with schedules and rates still to be announced. The borough points to @franklinlakescc on Instagram for updates.
- Beans Do Good café lists hours of Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with indoor service and a walk-up window, on its REED page. REED's October 9 grand-opening post still called the café "soon-to-open," so check the page before you go.
- The playground at Pulis Recreation Park is open now. The borough has posted playground rules for visitors.
The borough's other fall programming is close by on the calendar. The Charlie Landers Foundation's CL7 Oktoberfest takes place Saturday, October 17, from 7 to 11 p.m. under the big tent at McBride Field. The Mayors Wellness Campaign's Trunk or Treat runs Saturday, October 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Muni Field parking lot behind the police department, with the costume parade at 11:45 a.m. The Farmers & Artisan Market continues Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Veterans Plaza through November 21. All of these are listed on the borough's recreation news page. Nearby, the Franklin Lakes Public Library at 470 DeKorte Drive holds an open house for its Decker Recording Studio on Wednesday, October 14, from 10 a.m. to noon. For a broader look at the town's recurring gathering places, our Franklin Lakes summer playbook covers the warm-weather version of the calendar.
Changes to civic buildings like the community center and the Pulis playground shape how a town works day to day. The Kolsky Team follows them closely across Bergen County, and you can find more on the town on our Franklin Lakes neighborhood page. If you have questions about how Franklin Lakes is changing, we're happy to talk them through with you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
