Pump It Up, a children’s party facility who plans to use part of the currently closed Ford World, had its application heard and approved at last night’s Municipal Land Use Board (MLUB) meeting.
The application was delivered by attorney John DeMassy who called on architect Peter Kozielski and sole proprietor James Hurta to have them answer questions regarding the structure, use, and other specifics of the proposed business.
Mr. Kozielski testified that Pump It Up would use 9,700 sq. ft. of the facility and would be divided into three (3) main separate areas; Area A (2,820 sq. ft.), Area B (3,205 sq. ft.) and the final staging area for eating with a maximum capacity load of 243 occupants.
James Hurta, proprietor, described Pump It Up’s set up for reservations where parties would spend 40 minutes in Area A, then move onto Area B for another 40 minutes, after which time they would move to the party room for the last 40 minutes, lasting a total of two (2) hours. Once a party moves into Area B, another party could start use of Area A. The target market is for children between the ages of three (3) and 14 but, they have made reservations for adults as well. There will also be “Open Bounce Time” which would be available to the general public during times when there are no parties scheduled.
Pump It Up plans to employ between 25-35 employees and use local food vendors in the area to supply food for parties since Pump It Up will cater the party and not cook or prepare the food on the premises. Open all year round, the hours of operation will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. There will be 51 parking spaces reserved for the business, one more than required by ordinance.
Resident and business owner Anthony Carballo came up during the public hearing for the application and spoke in favor of the application.
“I think it’s a great idea. It’s been empty for almost two years now,” Mr. Carballo stated, “Part of things we’ve all wanted is to get people into town. This would be a great first step; plus the people we’ll be getting in is families and kids. I think it’s a no-brainer.”
After the application hearing, Mr. James Hurta stated that he plans on opening in February 2011. He stated that a website for the Roselle Park location should be up by the end of the month; Pump It Up already has a web site at www.pumpitupparty.com. Mr. Hurta also stated he would make his location available for school trips.