OCEANPORT — The borough hopes to secure a county open space grant to improve the tennis courts at the community center.
Councilman Joseph Irace said last week the Borough Council expects to apply for a matching grant to fund improvements to the tennis courts, which are in poor condition.
“We are going to apply for a grant for the community center tennis courts,” Irace said. “I haven’t been over there, but from the people who play tennis, there are cracks there, there [are] weeds growing through them, and they are in pretty rough shape. … I think they need to be resurfaced.”
The community center is located on 3.34 acres on Port-Au-Peck Avenue and is currently being used for borough offices while the location for a new Borough Hall is being discussed, The tennis courts, basketball court, softball field and playground are located on the grounds.
According to Irace, the tennis courts are part of the borough’s 2008 park improvement plan.
“The Recreation Committee brought it forward to us, and John Paddi asked if that was something we were looking to do,” he said.
Municipalities are eligible to apply each year for a matching grant from the Monmouth County Open Space Grant Program for up to $250,000.
“Judging from how they’ve done it in the past, it looks like it is almost every other year you get something so you can do a project,” he said.
Irace said it is not known how much the project will cost, but it is unlikely the borough will request the full $250,000 grant from the county.
“They are beginning the process now,” he said. “We aren’t going to borrow that much.”
He said in recent years the borough has applied for open space grants for Trinity Park, a Trinity Avenue pocket park that has rusted basketball hoops, a rusted fence and uneven pavement marred by cracks.
“We applied twice for a grant for Trinity Park, and the county at that point did not want to do more pocket parks,” he said. “I think we ended up doing the Blackberry Bay Park building at that point, and that is still being finished.”
Since the recent rejections, the Public Works Department has worked internally on improving Trinity Park and Evergreen Park, a 2.5-acre park on Pine Tree Lane with a basketball court, tot lot and shuffleboard court, according to Irace.
The centerpiece of the borough’s park plan is Blackberry Bay Park, a 15-acre park off Port-Au-Peck Avenue. This park contains two softball fields, two soccer fields, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a roller hockey rink, a pool and a playground.
Other borough parks include Charles Park on Monmouth Boulevard and Arnold Avenue, Maria Gatta Community Park on Port-Au-Peck Avenue, Old Wharf Park on East Main Street and Sommers Point Park on Pocano Avenue.