Carteret, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman and the Borough Council today announced a major capital plan to improve recreational activities at Bishop Andrews Park.
The Borough plans to install a new multi-purpose turf field at the Park, which will be utilized for football, soccer, Little League baseball and fast pitch softball. The start-of-the-art field will be constructed with the highest quality materials and available for recreational leagues, organized youth sports, and passive public recreation. In addition, 3 new basketball courts will be added, which will allow for pickup games and outdoor recreation leagues. Throughout the park, landscaping improvements will be made, including new plants, trees, soil, and flowers which will improve aesthetics and offer an inviting public space.
“We are hoping to utilize NJ Green Acres funds to upgrade Bishop Andrews Park in Chrome, to continue to provide our residents with the best recreational facilities in the region for sports, leisure, and exercise,” said Mayor Reiman. “The state-of-the-art turf field and amenities in Carteret’s parks are unrivaled and will attract play year round.”
The Borough is applying for funding through a $2.65 million New Jersey Green Acres grant application from New Jersey as part of its 2019 application. The project, if approved by Green Acres, would start in the Spring of 2020 after ongoing remediation is completed by USMR, a former smelting company, who operated in Carteret from 1901-1986. As part of Carteret’s lawsuit and settlement with USMR, they must remediate hundreds of residential and public properties around the former smelter.
“We have held USMR accountable for the pollution they brought to Carteret,” said Mayor Dan Reiman. “Now the community will finally be able to enjoy the resources that were taken from us for years.”
Just a few years ago, the Borough made $1.2 million in improvements to the park, including paved pathways, ADA compliant pedestrian areas, concrete sidewalks, benches, picnic tables, drainage improvements, additional parking spaces, and a Spray Park featuring a textured concrete spray pad with an above ground structure that sprays jets in a variety of patterns, and also acts as a water reservoir to use for landscaping.
The park is located on 4.5 acres at the corner of Pershing and Salem Avenues. For a complete guide to Carteret’s parks, please visit Carteret.net/parks.
