Carteret, NJ – Mayor Dan Reiman and Councilman Vinnie Bellino have announced that construction has begun on improvements to Carteret Park, and construction of a children’s “Spray Ground”.
The Borough has received a $650k NJ Green Acres grant and a $450k County Open Space grant to be applied towards various improvements at Carteret Park that will include the addition of the new water-spray playground area.
The project will include repairs and upgrades to existing amenities at Carteret Park, with the replacement of old or damaged walkways, new decorative lighting, landscaping, new curbs along adjacent streets, and improvements to the park’s storm-water drainage systems. Grant funding will also assist with the introduction of Carteret’s first water-spray park, which promises to be a popular summertime attraction for residents and visitors. Construction costs for the spray ground addition have been estimated at $175,000.00.
One of ten parks registered with the D.E.P. on Carteret’s Recreational Open Space Inventory (R.O.S.I.), Carteret Park is the town’s largest municipal park. Located adjacent to Carteret Middle School, Carteret Park plays home to a variety of passive recreational amenities, as well as a range of athletic facilities including “Tomczuk Courts,” which underwent a $450,000 reconstruction in 2010, as well as the recently reconstructed Sullivan Field, and Leniart Field.
The Reiman administration has secured over $90 million in grants, donations, and endowments since 2003, with over $40 million in park upgrades alone.
T&M Associates of Middletown has been engaged to conduct preliminary surveys and core sample work at Carteret Park, and are in the process of completing plans for construction.
“We’ve been focusing on the expansion of our public resources for recreation,” Mayor Reiman stated, “in addition to the upgrades and improvements that our system of parks has been undergoing. Projects such as this and the funding that makes them possible have allowed my administration to ‘think outside the box’ in broadening the range of recreational opportunities available to our residents.”
“Carteret Park has been the focus of 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.”
