11 Aug ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES PLANS TO REPAVE PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS IN ESSEX COUNTY BELLEVILLE PARK
Published on August 11, 2018
Belleville, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced a project to repave all pedestrian walkways and parking areas in Essex County Belleville Park on Friday, August 10th. In addition, park benches and trash receptacles will be added, curbing will be repaired and trees pruned. The upgrades are part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to enhance park facilities so that they continue to meet the needs of the community.
“Pedestrian walkways are a vital part of any park as they allow visitors and residents to comfortably enjoy the park facilities for leisure and exercise,” said DiVincenzo. “These improvements to the park will ensure that the needs of the community are met,” he added.
The planned upgrades were well-received by residents and local officials.
“I am proud to be a partner in Belleville’s progress and I look forward to these improvements,” NJ State Senator and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz said.
“The projects by the County Executive to improve our parks blow my mind. When this is completed, Belleville Park will look even better than it already does,” Freeholder Len Luciano said.
“I thank the County Executive for his commitment to improving Belleville Park and his commitment to our township. He’s upgraded the playground for our children and the redoing the walkways will make the park more accessible for our seniors,” Belleville Mayor Michael Melham said. “Safety is our highest priority and repaving the pathways will make it safer for seniors to walk in the park,” Councilman Vincent Cozzarelli said.
“My heart is with children and the seniors need the walkways. We really do depend on this park,” Belleville resident Eleanor Guarino said.
The Essex County Department of Public Works designed the improvements to the walkways and will monitor the project to answer questions and avoid delays. Sita Construction from Goshen, N.Y., received a publicly bid contract for $548,548 to perform the construction work. The project is being funded with a grant from the Essex County Community Development Block Grant Program. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer.
Revitalizing Essex County Belleville Park
In 2005, a new restroom building was constructed in the park along with the original playground as part of a $948,914 project funded with grants from the NJ Green Acres Program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. The senior building received a facelift in 2014 as part of a $354,972 project. In addition, the original playground was modernized in 2017 as part of a $875,174 program funded with the Essex County Capital Budget and grants from the NJ Green Acres Program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 23 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, Treetop Adventure Course, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range, two miniature golf courses, three off-leash dog facilities, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. At 32.7 acres, Belleville Park is the eighth-largest park in Essex County’s system. Land for the park was purchased in 1915 and construction of the park was completed in 1922.