21 Jun ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF NEW DOG PARK IN ESSEX COUNTY BRANCH BROOK PARK
Published on June 21, 2019
Branch Brook Dog Park will be Fifth Off-Leash Dog Facility in Essex County Parks System
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced on Friday, June 21st that work to create an off-leash dog park in Essex County Branch Brook Park in Newark was underway. The development of the dog park is part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to update park facilities and introduce new recreation opportunities that meet the needs of the community.
“We are always looking for opportunities to improve our open spaces and create recreation opportunities for the public. The development of the dog park transforms an underutilized area of the park into a vibrant location where community members and their canine pets can gather and socialize,” DiVincenzo said. “We are happy to work with the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association, which came to us with the idea for a dog park in Branch Brook. This is another way for the public to enjoy our open spaces,” he added.
“This is another example of the vision of our County Executive to reimagine our Parks System and reconfigure them in a way that preserves their historic significance and meets our needs of today,” NJ State Senator and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz said. “Joe DiVincenzo is a master at understanding what the community needs and bringing it to fruition,” Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin said.
“Pets are part of the family and this dog park will provide our residents’ pets with a safe place to run and exercise while not on a leash,” Freeholder Robert Mercado said. “Our County Executive does a great job recognizing the diversity of our community and he pays so much attention that he is recognizing the needs of dog owners with this dog park,” Freeholder Patricia Sebold said. “This is a quality of life project and will be a nice addition to Branch Brook Park,” Freeholder Len Luciano said.
“Today we are making history in the City of Newark because this is the first dog park created in Newark. Dog parks are not just for dogs, they are also social gathering places for pet owners,” Newark North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said. “I want to thank the County Executive for his vision. These types of projects enhance usage of the park,” Newark At-Large Councilman Luis Quintana said.
The 30,000-square-foot dog park will be located along the park roadway in the Northern Division of the park near the Parks Department Maintenance Facility. It is accessible from the Heller Parkway entrance to Branch Brook. The dog park will be divided into two sections: one for small dogs that is about 11,000 square feet and one for large dogs that is about 19,000 square feet. Both sections will have equipment on which the dogs can run and climb. Drainage at the site was improved and water fountains for humans and canines were installed. The entrance to the dog park consists of a double fence to prevent unleashed dogs from running way. A designated crosswalk will be created at the entrance to enhance safety for dog owners and their pets who park and cross the street. Trees were pruned and dead trees were removed; trash receptacles, dog bag dispensers, dog washing stations and park benches were installed.
Mott MacDonald from Iselin was awarded a professional contract for $42,700 to design the Branch Brook Dog Park. Picerno Giordano from Kenilworth was awarded a public bid for $589,159 to perform the construction work. The Department of Public Works monitored the project to ensure delays were avoided. The Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board awarded a grant to fund the project. Construction began in May and is scheduled to be completed by the end of July.
The Branch Brook Dog Park will be the fifth dog park in the Essex County Parks System. The Watsessing Dog Park in Bloomfield/East Orange opened in 2005. The South Mountain Dog Park in Maplewood/Millburn opened in 2006. The Brookdale Dog Park in Bloomfield/Montclair opened in 2007. The Hilltop Dog Park in North Caldwell opened in 2018. Every October, Essex County hosts popular Canine Costume Parades and Contests at the Brookdale, South Mountain and Hilltop Dog Parks.
Revitalizing Essex County’s Branch Brook Park
The Branch Brook Park Alliance has been the primary partner with Essex County to revitalize Branch Brook Park, which opened in 1895. More than $50 million of upgrades have been made throughout the Park through this partnership. Park enhancements have been supported with grants from corporations, the New Jersey Green Acres program, the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund, philanthropic organizations and community members. In addition, the Alliance has sponsored a variety of programs to clean the waterways, spruce up the park, maintain the cherry tree collection, develop an urban farm, among other activities.
A new synthetic grass surface was installed on the Robert Clemente Baseball Field in 2019. Synthetic grass surfaces were installed on the Ray Dandridge and Jerome Greco Little League Fields in 2018. A bronze bust of Frederick Law Olmstead was dedicated in 2018 and a bronze bust of Mendelssohn was restored and rededicated in 2017; both are located in the Prudential Concert Grove. A playground designed with a cherry blossom theme was opened at the Essex County Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in 2015. The Barbara Bell Coleman Welcome Center and Concourse Hill upgrades, along with the opening of a two-mile, synthetic surface walking track, creation of a children’s garden at the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center, renovation of a well in the Park’s Northern Division, the rehabilitation of the Reservoir Walls in the Park’s Southern Division and modernization of the Clifton Avenue basketball courts were completed in 2014. The bronze statue honor the late tennis legend Althea Gibson was dedicated and the 20-court tennis complex named in her honor received a complete makeover in March 2012 and the field house in the tennis complex was renovated in July 2012.
A multi-phase project to upgrade the lakefront in the Southern Division was completed in April 2012. It included the restoration of the historic Prudential Lions statues and balustrade, the rehabilitation of two buildings for restrooms and public meeting space, updating the music court with new pavers and landscaping. The music court overlooking the lake was dedicated as the “Prudential Concert Grove” to recognize the corporation’s ongoing support to restore the Park, and a memorial cherry tree grove was rededicated in honor of Kiyofumi Sakaguchi, who was President and CEO of Prudential International Insurance at the time of his death.
The renovation of the historic Octagon Fieldhouse in the Essex County Stephen N. Adubato, Sr. Sports Complex was completed in April 2011. Completed in 2010 were a project to pave the park roadway, upgrade walking paths, and install historic lighting in the section of the park from the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center to Heller Parkway, the planting of 600 Cherry Trees and other trees throughout Branch Brook Park and the paving of the park roadway from Mill Street to Washington Street.
In September 2009, the Middle Division Recreation Complex was renamed as the “Essex County Stephen N. Adubato, Sr. Sports Complex,” in honor of the founder of The North Ward Center and Robert Treat Academy. In August 2009, a synthetic surface football/soccer field was constructed and named after NFL Hall of Famer and Barringer High School alumni Andre Tippett. Earlier in 2009, a “demonstration project” in the Branch Brook Park Extension enhanced landscaping, added Cherry Trees, improved pathways and modernized entranceways into the park from Franklin Avenue. The Bloomfield Avenue Bridge that passes over the Middle Division was rehabilitated in 2009.
The Cherry Blossom Welcome Center was renovated and transformed into a year-round showplace to raise awareness about the Japanese Flowering Cherry Blossom Trees in 2008. A replica of the historic Octagon Shelter in the Southern Division of Essex County Branch Brook Park was built in 2007 and the baseball field complex known as the “three diamonds” was upgraded in 2007. The baseball/softball complex in the Branch Brook Park Middle Division was reopened in April 2005 after a remediation and modernization project, and the historic restoration of the Park Avenue Bridge was completed in 2005. Entrance enhancements, new fencing and landscaping along Clifton Avenue and Mill Street, and a major improvement project along Lake Street have made the park more inviting.
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, a miniature golf course, golf driving range, four off-leash dog facilities, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Branch Brook Park was created in 1895 and is the first park in Essex County’s system. At 359.72 acres, it is the largest county park in Essex.
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