The Brookdale Community College campus in Lincroft will be getting a facelift – courtesy of Monmouth County and the state.
The project will overhaul the existing pedestrian thoroughfare into a new path that is intended to enhance the aesthetics of the campus and allow students to more easily take advantage of Brookdale’s outdoor space.
The walkway is designed to stretch from the Performing Arts Center to the Collins Arena, including improvements to the entry of the Monmouth Museum.
The project will reconstruct the college’s rear walkway to include new landscaping, seating alcoves and art installations.
Brookdale President Maureen Murphy said, “This project is the result of staff, faculty and student input. It is designed as a pedestrian walkway from the [Collins] arena to the Monmouth Museum. It is really beautiful back there.”
Funding for the $1.98 million project, known as the Campus Gateway Path, is coming entirely from the state’s capital improvement program. A unanimous vote by the college’s Board of Trustees on Aug. 21 awarded the renovation contract to Circle A. Construction Co., Neptune.
“New spaces will be created for quiet reading, conversations and a wide range of campus activities,” said Adam Alexander, landscape architect with AAM Architecture and Design. “This thoroughfare will redefine the way people view, access and experience Brookdale’s flagship campus.”
Plans include LED lighting and call for art installations to be designed and created by Brookdale staff members. The site plan includes two atriums in the center of the path, where sculptures and benches will be situated around plantings.
Murphy said college officials hope the construction of the walkway, which will also include outdoor programming space and an amphitheater for classes, will be completed in the fall.