Elevated walkway links two major park areas in Princeton
By: Jessica Demetriou
Move over Atlantic City and all you other shore communities, Princeton can boast its own boardwalk.
When Friends of Princeton Open Space became aware that the trail linking the Mountain Lakes Preserve with parks east of The Great Road could not be easily used because of intervening wetlands, the organization decided to provide funding for an elevated walkway to link the two open-space areas.
Wendy Mager, FOPOS president, said that the boardwalk was completed in October and it aids people in moving from one natural area to another. The boardwalk extends more than 300 yards.
"After the township acquired the property, they had the right to put a trail there, but because there was so much water it was very difficult to walk," Ms. Mager said of the strip of open space directly south of the fenced-in portion of Coventry Farm, which is preserved under a conservation easement, and north of The Glen housing development.
"A large section of the walking trail was replaced with the boardwalk," she said.
The trail that includes the boardwalk intersects The Great Road directly across from North Road. A short walk leads to the new 23-acre Farm View Park at the corner of The Great Road and Pretty Brook Road. The active recreation part was part of the original 160-acre Coventry Farm that was purchased for $9.5 million in 2001, largely through the efforts of the D&R Greenway with further contributions from Princeton Township, Princeton Borough and FOPOS.
Ms. Mager said that FOPOS received a considerable donation for the boardwalk from the J. Seward Johnson Sr. Charitable Trust. She said that the boardwalk would be named after J. Seward Johnson Sr. at a dedication ceremony in the spring.
"They have very generously supported Friends of Princeton Open Space for a long time and we are very grateful to them," Ms. Mager said.
She said that FOPOS really wanted to be able to create links and pathways to help people enjoy the area’s natural environment.
"We were very interested in improving access in that area because it provides a link between the Mountain Lakes Preserve and the park on the Great Road, as well as the recreation fields," Ms. Mager said.
She said that the friends group couldn’t have done it without the help of Princeton Township, which provided the labor to put the boardwalk together.
"We collaborated with the township and they utilized their existing manpower and machine rate to put it together," Ms. Mager said.
Greg O’Neil, open space manager and assistant foreman at the Princeton Township Public Works Department, headed the crew that built the boardwalk.
"The boardwalk is 960 feet long and took about three months to complete," Mr. O’Neil said.
Mr. O’Neil said that it took about six to eight workers a day to complete the boardwalk, which makes a giant loop along the southern edge of Coventry Farm.
"I think it was a great opportunity to be given the chance to work on this project since it was minimally invasive to the community," Mr. O’Neil said. "It surrounds a beautiful spot and hopefully it will be proved to be worthwhile."
Steven Hiltner, FOPOS natural resource manager, said that the boardwalk was in the making for a long time, but now it will finally allow people to enjoy an area that was once inaccessible, especially at the Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve.
"Trails would go to the southwest corner and people would just have to turn around, because the land would make it impossible to keep going," Mr. Hiltner said. "Now it’s a nice wide trail."
Mr. Hiltner said that the area around the boardwalk will soon be surrounded by wildflowers and will be a great nature trail for walkers and bikers.
"You look up at the farm and sometimes horses come down right to the fence," Mr. Hiltner said. "It’s just a lovely rural ambience."

