Outcault Park designs nearly done

   MONROE — Plans for a proposed 40-acre park on Avenue K in the Outcault section of the township are nearing completion.

By: Leon Tovey
   MONROE — More than two-and-a-half years after it was approved by the Township Council, plans for a proposed 40-acre park on Avenue K in the Outcault section of the township are nearing completion.
   Township Engineer Ernie Feist said Wednesday that park, first approved by the council in May 2002, is being redesigned to comply with new stream encroachment regulations implemented by the state Department of Environmental Protection in April 2004.
   "When we applied for our stream encroachment permit in the spring (of 2004) we were under the impression that they only applied to single-family residential developments," Mr. Feist said. "We submitted our application just after the new rules took effect and now the DEP wants a redesign."
   Mr. Feist said the changes — which may include the addition of a retention pond for storm water recharge — would probably affect the scope of the park, but that he could not yet say to what extent.
   "We’ll probably have to use up more of the land for storm water management," he said. "We anticipate that it will have some parking areas, several ball fields, walking and jogging trails, as well as a building for concessions and a rest room."
   Mr. Feist said he expects to have the redesigned plan submitted to the DEP and approved by early spring. Once the stream encroachment permit has been granted, the township can begin awarding contracts for the project.
   Mr. Feist said he hoped work on the first phase of the project — which will be about 15 acres and include the parking area, restrooms and two baseball fields — will be close to completion by the end of the year.
   Mr. Feist said the project was on schedule — though the planning phase of the project may have seemed drawn-out to some.
   When the Township Council approved the park, it was with the understanding that it would be designed and built as funds became available, Mr. Feist said. The council allotted an initial sum of $250,000 for design and construction.
   Mr. Feist said the council in 2003 approved additional funds for the first phase of the project, bringing the total budget to around $500,000. He estimated that the total cost of the project would be between $2 million and $2.5 million by the time the entire 40-acre park is finished.