City bonds additional $1.3M for new park

BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH -- The City Council introduced an ordinance last week to bond an additional $1.3 million for the Manahassett Creek Park project.

The funds will be used to improve the future site of the park, which is located on roughly 21 acres of land in the northern part of the city, according to city Financial Director Ronald Mehlhorn Sr.

The site is bordered on the north by Manahassett Creek, on the south by Hairsdale Avenue, on the east by Long Branch Avenue and on the west by Narragansett Avenue.

According to ordinance 7-06, introduced at the March 14 council meeting, the bonds will be issued for "improvements to property acquired for the creation of a municipal park, to include, but not limited to, creation of utility sports fields, landscaping, irrigation and drainage and including all work and materials necessary."

The public hearing and final vote on the ordinance will be held at the March 28 municipal meeting at city hall on Broadway at 8 p.m.

At the council meeting, a city resident asked the council if all the property for the project had been fully acquired.

City Attorney James Aaron responded, "The land has been fully acquired. All the property was acquired through

negotiations."

According to Aaron, "Some property owners came to us and said they heard we wanted to build a park and could we strike a deal."

The city has already bonded up to $5.2 million for the project, according to Mehlhorn, who said a portion of that was used to acquire the final 12 acres of vacant property located off Long Branch Avenue, in December 2004 for $3.45 million from the Ohio-based Lemco Associates Ltd., known locally as the Lemco property.

The city previously acquired the first 9 acres of land for the project. The city already owned 7 acres and then purchased four properties on the final 2 acres of land for $1.4 million, according to Mehlhorn, who said the city spent a total of $4.8 million to acquire the property for the park.

In January 2005, D.W. Smith Associates, Lakewood, was awarded $156,400 for the design of the project, according to Jacob L. Jones, director of Community and Economic Development, who added that site plans are expected to be finalized within the next 30 days.

"Shortly after the plans are finalized we will go out for bids on the project," Jones said.

The project is expected to be constructed in two, possibly three phases, Jones explained.

The first phase, to be funded by the bonded $1.3 million, will include the construction of softball, baseball, soccer and football fields along with a parking lot, a fitness trail and a buffer zone to isolate the park from the surrounding neighborhood, according to Jones,

The second phase will include a concession stand, basketball and tennis courts and a handball wall.

"Right now we have the money in place for Phase I, and I have submitted a request for additional funding for the second phase from the state Green Acres [program]," Jones said.

He added that he intends to include a third phase to the project to establish a launch dock on the marina on the shoreline if the city can acquire the needed funding.

Once construction begins on the project, the first phase is expected to be completed within six months to a year, according to Jones.