By Kenny Walter
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH- The city’s crown jewel park may soon be getting an upgrade.
During the Workshop meeting on Aug. 23, the City Council discussed plans to make various improvements to Manahassett Creek Park by using funding through the State of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program.
“A lot of the improvements are things that we’ve been getting emails about, people want to see the trees replaced, the fences replaced,” Business Administrator Howard Woolley Jr. said. “All of that is in this phase III project.”
Jacob Jones, director of the Office of Community and Economic Development said the work will include cleaning out a buffer on the north end, surface improvements, fencing improvements, improvements to the playground and tennis court and additional gates where there currently is gaps.
“It’s basic improvements,” Jones said.
Woolley said he expects the work would take six to 12 months to complete and to be finished by next summer.
The first phase of the park cost $4 million, most of which came from Green Acres and Department of Community Affairs grants.
The park includes two soccer fields, two softball fields, two tennis courts, two basketball courts, a full baseball field and a football field.
Also included are a fitness trail, a putting green and restrooms.
City sports organizations such as Pop Warner and Long Branch Little League have used the park as their home fields but pick-up games are allowed as well.
Phase II also included several other changes and improvements to the rest of the 20-acre park that is located on Long Branch Avenue and north of Atlantic Avenue.
The city started planning the park in 2002 and broke ground in 2008.
Finance Director Michael Martin explained the project’s financing through the Green Acres Program.
“It’s half loan, half grant to fund phase III of Manahassett Creek Park,” he said.
Both the grant and the loan will be funded by Green Acres at $312,400 each. Martin said the loan will be at zero-percent interest.