By JESSICA HARDING
Staff Writer
ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP — Veterans Memorial Park, which is located in Cliffwood Beach, is going to be transformed into a recreational facility that will offer new amenities for all ages.
Aberdeen Township has awarded a contract to Precise Construction of Freehold for an extensive renovation of the park.
According to Don Norbut, special project engineer with T&M Associates, the total project will cost $2.02 million, which is 19 percent below the original estimate of $2.5 million. The cost includes $120,000 of tot lot equipment that Aberdeen will purchase directly under the State Purchase Contract.
Aberdeen Mayor Fred Tagliarini is satisfied with the project’s cost.
“We are very pleased to report that construction on this transformative project will begin this month at a cost well below the original estimate,” he said.
The project will begin mid-December and will be finished at some point in July 2017 with a grand opening.
Veterans Memorial Park is located at Ocean Boulevard and Lakeshore Drive. It currently contains a roller hockey rink, swings and basketball and volleyball courts.
New additions to the park will feature a pirate and tall ship-themed playground, appropriate for ages 2-5 and 5-12 and a pirate ship-themed water/spray park. A picnic grove with shade structures will be available to relax at.
A multi-purpose field for Little League and soccer teams, a kayak and small water raft launch as well as a gazebo and bandshell will also be added.
A flagpole and war veterans memorial monument and restrooms/equipment storage buildings will complete the project.
The park will be made more attractive with the installation of trees and shrubbery, creating a decorative landscape.
Existing basketball courts will be upgraded, parking lots will be resurfaced and additional parking will be added by the former skating rink.
The park will be made more secure with the addition of security lighting and video surveillance.
There will be a separate reconstruction of the Cliffwood Beach seawall, which was damaged during superstorm Sandy. To prevent any future flooding, the site will be raised using clean fill in selected locations.
Councilman Robert Swindle could not be more excited for the park’s transformation.
“This is a very exciting project for Cliffwood Beach and all of Aberdeen,” he said. “The new park and rebuilt seawall will give residents of all ages multiple reasons to take advantage of this tremendous underutilized resource on our waterfront. With the bandshell/gazebo, we also look for Veterans Memorial Park to become a site for concerts and other special events.”
A portion of the construction will be funded through a $250,000 grant provided by the Monmouth County Open Space Grant Program.