Carteret, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman joined Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ron Rios to announce that the Borough will receive $750,000 from the Middlesex County Open Space Fund for its Noe Street Park improvement project.
The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholder adopted Resolution 18-1125-R by a unanimous vote at their August 16, 2018 meeting, which authorized “execution of grant agreement with the Borough of Carteret under the Middlesex County Open Space, Recreation and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund for the Construction of Noe Street Park in the amount of $750,000.00.”
“The County is committed to providing continued support to our municipalities for the improvement of their recreational facilities,” said Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios. “We are proud to partner with the Borough of Carteret on this project. Every new park and recreational amenity not only benefits the residents of that municipality, but contributes to the quality of life of County residents as a whole.”
Noe Street Park is a new park which will act as a regional storm water retention pond to mitigate possible flooding to residential areas and provide additional opportunities for passive recreation for Borough residents. The borough acquired a block of residential properties in the low lying areas of Noe Street that have experienced severe flooding in the past, and were destroyed during Hurricane Sandy. The properties were combined with borough lots to be used to create a passive recreation park. The county and borough open space funds will create active and passive recreational amenities within the area set aside as Noe Street Park.
“Noe Street Park is a win-win for our residents and visitors,” said Mayor Dan Reiman. “Not only will the retention basin alleviate flooding, it was also serve as an ice skating rink in the winter, which will be surrounded by a beautiful walking path.”
At the center of Noe Street Park will be a detention basin used to collect storm water from new and additional catch basins on the street. Once the water exceeds a certain level, a recently completed stormwater pump station will begin pumping excess water to upgraded outflows off of Peter J. Sica highway to The Arthur Kill.
Such improvements will reduce pollution resulting from a previously overtaxed infrastructure system adjacent to Noe’s Creek and the Arthur Kill areas. This area was previously impacted by Superstorm Sandy and this resiliency project will mitigate the impact on the Borough in the event of another major storm. Once the project is complete all of the roads will be milled and repaved.
“This park makes creative use of the limited available space in the borough and adds a new public recreation spot for residents to enjoy,” said Middlesex County Freeholder Charles Kenny, chair of the County’s Infrastructure Management Committee.
Total cost of the project is $13,200,000, which was funded by a low interest 20-year loan through the NJ Infrastructure Bank of which $2,483,168 will be in the form of a principal forgiveness grant. Land Acquisition of $1.05 million was funded by a grant from the NJ DEP Green Acres program.
You may read more about the Noe Street Park and Drainage Project at www.Carteret.net.
