City unveils deluxe new green oasis

City unveils deluxe new green oasis
20-acre Manahassett Park boosts city's recreational space
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Long Branch officially opened the $4 million plus 20-acre Manahassett Creek Park last week.

PHOTOS BY SUE LALANAS The newly opened Manahassett Creek Park in Long Branch includes a playground, athletic fields, putting green and a fitness trail. State Green Acres funds helped finance the 20-acre park, which cost more than $4 million to construct.
City officials attended the Aug. 19 ribboncutting ceremony held at the park, located on Long Branch Avenue north of Atlantic Avenue.

Jacob Jones, director of the Office of Community and Economic Development, said in an interview last week that the park includes two soccer fields, two softball fields, two tennis courts, two basketball courts, a full baseball field and a football field.

Also included are a fitness trail, a putting green and a concession stand with restrooms.

Jones explained the uses for some of the fields.

"Pop Warner will use the football field and Little League will use the baseball field," he said.

Jones said that while organized sports will probably have first dibs on the fields, pick-up games are allowed on all of the fields as long as there isn't a conflict.

He also said that a main point of emphasis is keeping the parks clean.

"You can't take gum, candy or soda onto the turf, because they will ruin the turf," Jones said. "That's important."

The city started planning the park in 2002 and broke ground in 2008.

Precise Construction was awarded the $3.9 million contract in May 2008 after coming in as the lowest bidder.

Plans for the park were designed by D.W. Smith Associates.

"We started this in 2002, so it's been seven years working on this park," Jones said last week.

Jones broke down some of the financing for the project.

"It cost over $4 million for the whole thing," he said. "Most came from grants from Green Acres or grants from the Department of Community Affairs.

"We also received a large private donation," he added. "Piecing the monies was quite difficult."

Jones acknowledged that the size of the park and all the features the park includes made the project more difficult to bring to fruition.

"We have 20 acres of active recreational functions," he said. "It's been a major, major undertaking."

The park was not easy for a variety of reasons, many involving the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

"We overcame a parcel of land that was under DEP control because of contaminants in the soil," he said. "Another part of the park was under DEP because of illegal dumping by the state."

In January and February 2008, the site, which is located in a flood zone, was raised some 3 feet to eliminate the impact of storm drainage.

Jones said that some of the fields are built with turf, which includes a drainage system underneath the grass-like turf.

"It could rain all day and the field won't be soaked," he said.

The park includes two sets of equipment for toddlers to play on, which are equipped with shock-resistant padding on the ground to cushion a fall.

Jones explained some of the other changes as well.

"We had the roadway repaved," he said. "We fixed some of the curbs and electricity."

Councilman Brian Unger thinks that the park is going to help the city move forward with recreational sports.

"I'm very proud of this park that we've worked on for so long; it's a great addition to the city's park system," Unger said in an email. "It's really going to help our sports and recreation programs."

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.


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