25 Nov ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES THE MODERNIZATION OF TWO BALLFIELDS IN ESSEX COUNTY MONTE IRVIN ORANGE PARK HAS BEEN COMPLETED
Published on November 25, 2024
Orange, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced on Monday, November 25th that the modernization of the two ballfields in Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park in Orange has been completed. The project to construct a new community center in the park is ongoing. The upgrades will provide up-to-date recreation facilities that meet residents’ changing needs and make the park more inviting to the public.
“The community relies on the County Parks System for athletic fields and facilities to support recreation programs school athletics. Therefore, it is imperative that we come up with new ways to make it easier to maintain our fields, provide up-to-date playing conditions and maximize use,” DiVincenzo said. “Improving the infields with synthetic surfaces is a way to address the condition of the field and preserve more natural turfed areas in our parks,” he added.
“I can’t say enough how this park has evolved and the many improvements that were made. I just can’t thank you enough and know that my father would be proud,” said Pam Fields, an Orange resident and daughter of baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin.
“I am no stranger to the work that Joe D has done throughout the Parks System and the County. To see what has been done with the modernization of these two fields is remarkable. This is providing quality recreational space for our children,” State Senator Britnee Timberlake said.
“This is another example of the tremendous job that Joe has done not only in Orange but throughout the County. To have these state-of-the-art fields just a stone’s throw from where baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin lived and raised his family is gratifying,” said Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, who as accompanied by Council President Adrienne Wooten and Council members Weldon Montague III and Clifford Ross.
“In the Orange Public School District, we are building better students and the fields that have been redone here definitely will be beneficial for our student-athletes. Thank you for investing in our students,” said Orange Schools Superintendent Dr. Gerald Fitzhugh, II, who was accompanied by Board of Education President Dr. Fatima Turner.
The two ballfields are in the northern area of the park. The alignment of the fields was changed so that one field was moved closer to Oakwood Avenue and the outfields of the two fields now overlap. The infields were redone with a synthetic playing surface and the outfields were sodded with natural grass. New fencing, benches, covered dugouts and drainage and irrigation systems also were installed.
The concept of updating the infields with synthetic playing surfaces and leaving the outfields with natural grass was first introduced in the Essex County Parks System in Brookdale Park in Bloomfield/Montclair. Because of the success of the project, it was replicated in Yanticaw Park in Nutley and Branch Brook Park in Newark.
French and Parrello from Wall received a professional services contract for $99,000 to design the field improvements. The LandTek Group from Bay Shore, N.Y., was awarded a publicly bid contract for $2,398,360 to perform the construction work. The project took about six months to complete.
Another project that is ongoing in Monte Irvin Orange Park is the construction of a new community center. The building will be located near the intersection of Central Avenue and Oakwood Avenue with the entrance being on Oakwood Avenue about 100 feet from the intersection. The building will be partially located on the footprint of an existing parking lot, which will be closed. The building will be 8,580 square feet and have a multi-purpose room that is about 5,000 square feet. There also will be a warming kitchen, space for a police substation, an office and storage space. The restrooms will be accessible from inside the building and from outdoors. If the building is not in use, access to the restrooms can be limited to just the outside.
A driveway will enable visitors to be dropped off right in front of the building and a covered entranceway will protect those entering the building from the elements. There will be a parking lot to accommodate about 50 vehicles. In back of the building will be a covered patio for outdoor seating and events. The existing parking lot entrance at the corner of Central Avenue Oakwood Avenue will be closed and replaced with enhanced landscaping.
The new community center is designed similarly to recent community center projects completed in Essex County Cedar Grove Park, Essex County Watsessing Park in Bloomfield, Essex County Weequahic Park, Essex County West Side Park, the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in Essex County Branch Brook Park and the Sheriff Armando and Mary Fontoura Community Center in Essex County Independence Park in Newark, the Wally Choice Community Center in Essex County Glenfield Park in Montclair and the D. Bilal Beasley Community Center in Irvington Park in Irvington.
DiCara Rubino architects from Wayne was awarded a professional services contract for $522,900 to design the building and park entrance improvements. Tsivicos Enterprises from Neptune City was awarded a publicly bid contract for $9,797,723 to perform the construction work. The project is being funded with grants from the State of New Jersey and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.
Revitalizing Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park
DiVincenzo’s administration has completed several improvement projects in Monte Irvin Orange Park as part of a comprehensive initiative to revitalize the Essex County Park System.
Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park was renamed in honor of baseball legend Monte Irvin in May 2006. Irvin was raised in Orange, was one of the first African Americans to play in the Major Leagues and was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. In addition, a memorial recognizing the valor of Orange Police Detective Kieran T. Shields was dedicated in April 2007. Shields lost his life on August 7, 2006, while attempting to apprehend a shooting suspect.
The formal gardens located near the Monte Irvin Statue were redone in 2021. The playground was modernized and expanded in 2016. Public accessibility into the park was enhanced in 2014 when new crosswalks, sidewalk ramps, pathways and roadway striping were installed on Oakwood Avenue. In 2009, a soccer field with a synthetic grass surface was installed as part of a $1.1 million upgrade. A $1.2 million facelift to upgrade the park entrances, gardens, baseball fields and pond area was completed in April 2007. The basketball court and restroom building were rebuilt in May 2006 for $527,968. Modern equipment and a rubberized safety surface were installed in the playground in March 2004. The improvements were funded with 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, a miniature golf course, golf driving range, six off-leash dog facilities, paddle boating, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. At 47.63 acres, Orange Park is the sixth largest county park in Essex and is considered to be part of the original County Park System designed by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architectural firm. Property for Orange Park was purchased in 1897, making it one of the oldest county parks in the country.