Staff Writer
MONROE – When it comes to planning for Avenue K Park, the funding and phases of development must fit together like the matching pieces of a puzzle.
The municipal budget had allocated about $800,000 for Phase I of construction on the facility in Monroe’s Outcalt section, according to Township Engineer Ernest Feist. But when the township went out to bid for that phase in May of this year, the lowest quote came in at about $1.2 million, he said.
“We rejected the bids, so we’re scaling back the scope of the work and now putting it back out to bid again,” said Township Business Administrator Wayne Hamilton. He expects the project to go out to bid later this month.
The Phase I development is scheduled for this year, Feist said.
Though the actual plans remain unofficial, the park will ultimately include a variety of athletic fields and courts, a water park and other amenities.
Hamilton said there should be three phases of development. The township has not yet allocated funding for phases II or III, and Feist said funding for both will be allocated in subsequent years.
But officials learned that Congressman Rush Holt (D-12) has earmarked $247,500 for Phase II of the construction.
“That certainly helps,” Feist said.
“We don’t see federal grants very often, so that’s kind of unique.”
Holt obtained the funding last year as an earmark in the Treasury-Transportation-Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill for 2006. Holt’s office told the Sentinel that he represents 44 municipalities, and annually contacts the mayor of each about foremost municipal projects. The congressman then tries to obtain funding for these projects through Congress’s Appropriations Subcommittee.
“I was pleased to secure federal funding for this important project in Monroe Township,” Holt said in a statement. “Ensuring federal support for local priorities is one important way that New Jersey can see a return on their tax dollars, and it helps our communities to improve quality of life for residents.”
Hamilton said the township has to apply for Holt’s appropriation and will do so before the end of the year.
Feist could not give specifics on the developments for each phase.
“We’re moving along based on the amount of funds that are made available by the council in the budget or perhaps some grants that we may get in the future,” he said. “So really, the scope of work is going to vary in each phase.”
Feist said the township has received funding in the past from the state’s Green Acres Program and from the Middlesex County Open Space Trust Fund. Applications to both will be filed for phases II and III of the park, he said.
The township recreation department is working with Feist’s office and is advising the council on the timing and types of facilities for the park, he said.
Overall plans for the “full-service facility” include baseball and soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts, restrooms, a concession stand, tot lots and a water park, Feist said.
Phase I will likely include the water park and tot lots, Feist said. A road is also slated to be built in the area.
The township acquired the property about 10 years ago at no cost from Atlantic Realty, Feist said. The development company built Monroe Pines adjacent to the 30-acre tract.
He said the township built the Avenue K roadway about six years ago, after which officials began discussions about developing the property into a recreational site.