State provides $30K for
Ravine Drive playground
MATAWAN — The Ravine Drive School playground will be undergoing a complete renovation now that the state has allotted funds for new equipment.
According to borough officials, Sen. John Bennett (R-12), who was told of the condition of the playground and the safety issues involved, secured $30,000 in state funding for new playground equipment.
The playground equipment is old and unsafe for the children attending the school and those who live in the surrounding neighborhood, according to borough and school officials.
The borough helped secure the funds for the new equipment after the PTO officers from the Ravine Drive School requested assistance from the borough council, said Councilwoman Debra Buragina.
Buragina reported at a recent council meeting that the Matawan-Aberdeen Board of Education would be unable to fund the project. After the PTO’s request to the council, Mayor Robert Clifton, Buragina, and Councilwoman Sharon Roselli approached the state for assistance on behalf of the Ravine Drive PTO, borough officials said.
The funds from the state will completely cover the cost of the equipment. The Ravine Drive PTO will assume the cost associated with the installation of the playground equipment, through fund-raising efforts, officials said. The PTO also laid out the design for the new equipment.
Fran Rossi, the president of the PTO, thanked Bennett, Clifton, Roselli and Buragina for their support and efforts.
"Everyone involved in the PTO is most appreciative that our state representatives and local elected officials put the needs of the children of Matawan first. Fund-raising for these types of projects can become a real burden to the parents of the school," Rossi said.
"Sen. Bennett, together with our other state district representatives Clare Farragher (R-12) and Michael Arnone (R-12), have a long and dedicated history and reputation for placing children in our district and throughout the state at the top of the list," said Clifton. "The Ravine Drive neighborhood was in desperate need for its own playground, and now this project plugs the hole for both the school and the neighborhood."