BY MAURA DOWGIN
Staff Writer
MIGUEL JUAREZ staff A new township park will sit at the corner of Oak Tree and New Dover roads.
EDISON — The township is on its way to having a new park.
The Oak Tree Pond, on the corner of Oak Tree and New Dover roads, is being renovated into the township’s newest park.
The park will include large trees, walkways, a replica cannon, a butterfly garden, a split-rail fence, and a historic-looking retaining wall, said Robert Pye, an aide to Mayor George Spadoro and member of the advisory committee for the project.
There will be a path down to the pond where people can ice skate in the winter or relax in the summer, he said.
The land was a wooded tract when a developer purchased the property about three years ago and it was clear-cut of trees in preparation for the development of a Walgreens drugstore.
"Most of the trees that remain are on the other side of the pond," Pye said, adding that they are difficult to see from the street.
Many trees will be replanted in the upcoming months, he said. Most of the trees that will be planted in the park will have to be planted in the spring because it is getting too late in the season to plant.
The township recently bought the property back for approximately $5 million from the developer and has preserved it as open space, Pye said.
The township worked with the developer to purchase a bus company across the street from the park.
Having the pond and the land around the pond "gives us an opportunity to create a park that was more of a memorial of what happened there," Pye said.
The land is the site of a Revolutionary War battle. The large oak trees, American flag and replica cannon will serve as a tribute to the men who fought at the site.
"The land is viewed as important because of the battle there," Pye said.
Many longtime Edison residents, including Mayor Spadoro, remember ice skating on the pond when they were younger, Pye said.
The tract of land was originally 3 acres, Pye said. However, the pond takes up 1 acre and some land has been retained by the developer to build a Commerce Bank.
The work on the park, which is costing Edison about $333,000, is being done by a consultant group, T&M Associates, Middletown, and a contractor, Lucas Electric, of Windsor.
If completed on schedule, the park will be open to the public sometime next summer.