Carteret, NJ – Mayor Reiman and Council President Vinnie Bellino announced this week that Carteret has been awarded $650,000 for park upgrades at Carteret Park.
The funding has been awarded through the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) Green Acres Program and was recently recommended by the New Jersey Garden State Preservation Trust. The funding is comprised of a $325,000.00 grant and a $325,000.00 zero (0%) interest loan.
The grant and loan will support a wide array of upgrades at the park that will include enhancements to make walkways ADA compliant, landscaping, decorative lighting, and benches.
The project will also introduce the Borough’s first water-spray area to Carteret Park for children.
“This park has been appropriately referred to as ‘the jewel of Carteret,’” Mayor Reiman stated. “As the largest park on our open space inventory, Carteret Park hosts a large range of athletic facilities and passive recreational attractions, and is the site of the majority of our town-wide events. As such it receives significant wear and tear, and needs to be adaptable to the growth we have experienced in recent years.”
“Carteret Park has been the focus of a an array of improvements over the past few years,” Councilman and Parks Commissioner Vinnie Bellino added. “The quality of our system of parks has always been proportional to the variety of active and passive recreational amenities offered.”
The Reiman administration has secured over $87 million in grants, donations, and endowments since 2003, with over $38 million in park upgrades alone.
“Nearly every park and open space in Carteret has been upgraded over the past few year; these improvements are a testament to the ongoing revitalization and renaissance in Carteret,” Mayor Reiman added.
