28 Aug ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH RUGERS-NEWARK TO MODERNIZE ESSEX COUNTY WEEQUAHIC PARK BASEBALL FIELD
Published on August 28, 2019
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that work to modernize a baseball field in Essex County Weequahic Park was underway on Wednesday, August 21st. Essex County is partnering with Rutgers University in Newark to update the field, which will become the home field of the Rutgers University-Newark Scarlet Raiders Men’s Baseball Team as well as being available to local high school and recreation programs. The project is part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to update recreation facilities throughout the Essex County Parks System.
“We are pleased to partner with Rutgers-Newark and Chancellor Cantor to modernize another baseball field in Essex County Weequahic Park. We are always thinking of ways to keep our recreation facilities up to date and working with Rutgers-Newark helps fulfill both or our needs. The men’s baseball team will have a first-class facility that meets Division I standards to utilize as their home field and our local high school and recreation teams will enjoy the experience of playing on a collegiate level field,” DiVincenzo said.
“As a vital anchor institution in our home city, Rutgers-Newark is thrilled to both contribute to improving facilities in one of Newark’s historic public parks and to establish new home turf – quite literally – for our baseball team,” said Rutgers University-Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor. “We’re grateful to County Executive DiVincenzo and the Parks Department for their partnership and leadership in envisioning this win-win!” she added.
“The impact the new baseball field will have at Weequahic Park and Rutgers University-Newark will be one that extends the community reach of the University. Last season, the Scarlet Raiders played in Weequahic Park on a shared field and saw many locals join in the crowd as fans. With a dedicated field and the continued presence of Rutgers University-Newark, the brand and loyalty to the University will only grow,” Rutgers-Newark Athletic Director Mark Griffin said. “The University will join many of the other higher educations in the conference and in the area that will allow for year-round play and limit cancellations due to inclement weather as state-of-the-art field turf will be placed on the field,” he added.
The field is accessible by entering Weequahic Park via the Meeker Avenue entrance. The natural turf field will be upgraded with a synthetic grass surface, underground drainage system, a new backstop, fencing, bleachers and scoreboard. When the field is not being used by Rutgers-Newark, it will be available to be used by high school and recreation teams.
Essex County has a similar arrangement with the Seton Hall University Women’s Softball Team, which utilizes Essex County Ivy Hill Park as its home field. When the field is not in used by the Pirates, it hosts Little League teams and high school girls’ softball tournaments.
Mott MacDonald from Iselin was awarded a professional services contract for $75,000 to design the field improvements. Applied Landscape Technologies from Montville was awarded a publicly-bid contract for $2,538,000 to perform the construction work. Essex County received grants from Rutgers University in Newark and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund to fund the project. Work started earlier this month and is scheduled to be completed by January 2020.
Revitalizing Essex County Weequahic Park
In 2018, the Elizabeth Avenue playground was modernized with new apparatus and a rubberized safety surface and the restroom building was renovated. In 2017, The First Tee facilities were upgraded and the entranceway, parking lot and field house were modernized at Weequahic Golf Course as part of a $3.1 million project. In 2016, one of the baseball fields was modernized with a synthetic grass playing surface, new fencing and scoreboard and named in honor of the late Bill Hicks, a long-time little league and high school baseball coach. Also in 2016, the community center was named in honor of Feldman Middleton, Jr., one of the founders of the Weequahic Park Association and the Weequahic Park Sports Authority, and the playground was named in honor of activist Carl Sharif. In 2015, the playground by Building 92 was modernized with new equipment and a rubberized safety surface. In 2012, the four entrances to Weequahic Park received a facelift with traffic islands, lighting, paving and landscaping to beautify the area and enhance pedestrian and traffic safety, and the basketball courts were named in honor of the late Delano Gordon, founder of Above the Rim. Essex County partnered with the National Football League to install a new half-mile fitness course with six exercise stations in 2010. Weequahic Golf Course received a major overhaul in 2009 as part of $7 million modernization project in each of the County’s three public golf courses and the Weequahic Bridge was reconstructed for $3 million. A synthetic grass surface baseball field and four basketball courts were developed as part of a $1.8 million project in 2007. Essex County welcomed The First Tee and its nationally-recognized youth leadership training program to Weequahic Golf Course in 2006. The First Tee constructed a state-of-the-art, three-hole youth golf facility for its program adjacent to the golf course. The playground at Building 96 at the Chancellor Avenue entrance to the park was modernized with new equipment and rubberized safety surface in 2006. The Elizabeth Avenue tennis courts were rebuilt in 2004.
DiVincenzo has partnered with the New Jersey Green Acres program, the NJ Department of Transportation, the Essex County Parks Foundation, Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board, Weequahic Park Association and The First Tee to secure grants to fund the improvements in Essex County Weequahic Park.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system in the United States. It has been expanded to include about 6,000 acres of land and includes 20 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range, miniature golf course, four dog parks, a castle, Treetop Adventure Course and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Weequahic Park is 311.33 acres, is one of the original five County parks created in 1895 and is the second largest park in the Essex County System.