Cape May’s Lafayette St. Park Has First Phase Dedicated

CAPE MAY — The first step in a four-phase, $7-million project for Lafayette Street Park is complete. It was dedicated Sept. 13, 2016.
Lafayette Street Park, 921 Lafayette Street, includes multipurpose athletic fields, a garden and playground area that connect to the Cape May City Elementary School, according to a release.
Mayor Edward J. Mahaney stated the project “makes the school a 21st-century building with outdoor classrooms and nature trails, and allows the students to expand their horizons and move forward with the practical application process that is being taught in the classroom.” Cape May Elementary School and the Board of Education partnered in the Lafayette Street Park project.
Phase 1 of the project was solely funded by the New Jersey Department of Economic Development Authority (EDA) with a $1.5-million grant. The city approached New Jersey EDA six years ago about the opportunity to fund the project; with its help, the project was able to move forward.
Phase 3 has already been funded by the Cape May County Open Space Board with a grant of $1.177 million.
Overall, the Lafayette Street Park will be a $7-million investment with $6.5 million of that being funded by grant money.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is providing a $500,000 loan through Green Acres at 2 percent interest for 20 years.
Several firms played a role in the creation, execution, and completion of Phase 1.
James Rutala, the principal at Rutala Associates, LLC, coordinated the construction and administration.
Joseph Cairone, principal of Cairone and Kaupp, Inc. took the plans of Lafayette Street Park and made them real.
“Lafayette Street Park could be the most unique in the state once all four phases are completed,” Cairone stated.
Construction was completed by Carol, Nick Sr. and Nick Jr. Kafkalas and their team at Axios, Inc., and Chris Schied of Bertino and Associates Inc. provided construction oversight as the project manager.
Lafayette Street Park includes Musco Lighting on the multipurpose field, which provides use at night, walking areas, an outdoor living classroom, picnic area, an expanded playground area that is compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act rules.
Additionally, it is certified as a landing area for medevac helicopters, and a security system to provide safety to the schoolchildren.
During school days, the park will be restricted to student use only. Victoria Zelenak, the superintendent of Cape May City Elementary, stated the children had had wonderful things to say about their new park: “It’s the first time anything has ever been done to this property in 50 years and the students, as well as the teachers, absolutely love it.”
Phase 2 will include rebuilding Dellas Field, creating a hill from which to watch the games and providing additional parking.
The plan for Phase 3 includes tennis, paddleball, pickleball and basketball courts, bocce ball, shuffleboard, a sitting area and a dog park, all from Dellas Field to St. Johns Street.
The final phase, Phase 4, is to restore the nature trails as well as create new trails in the wooded area behind the multipurpose fields near Cape Island Creek.
The ceremony concluded with the official ribbon-cutting by schoolchildren and representatives from New Jersey EDA.