VILLAS – Lower Township is in the process of rehabilitating two parks and has a third on the back burner, so to speak.
Will Hansen, representing DeBlasio & Associates, said the firm is currently working on three projects, including the rehabilitation of Diamond Beach Park, Rotary Park, and Douglass Park, which is located near the ferry terminal.
Township Manager Mike Laffey said the township is upgrading the parks for various reasons, including making them more accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“Diamond Beach Park is obsolete and we are trying to fix it,” he said.
Laffey said the township would be replacing shredded rubber mulch with a poured surface, which is better for several reasons. He said the poured surface would not have weeds coming up through the material, as they do with rubber mulch. Laffey said the surface is thick, but “almost airy,” and provides a good cushion for when children fall. He said the same material has been used on the playgrounds at the Clem Mulligan Sports Complex and Jonathan Hoffman Park.
Both of the playgrounds at Diamond Beach Park and Rotary Park would be getting new playground equipment. Diamond Beach Park would be getting a fixed restroom, which the township is hoping to install at all the playgrounds.
Diamond Beach is also getting two new pickleball courts.
“We are trying to make these parks multigenerational,” Laffey said. “Pickleball is a great fad with former tennis players.”
He said they are changing the direction of the courts and encouraging the use of soft pickleballs in order to reduce the noise. Laffey said pickleball in Avalon is very big and they have very few noise complaints, so Lower Township is trying to follow suit. Laffey said there would also be fitness stations, a shade structure, bike racks, and a bike air-fill station.
Rotary Park, on Bayshore Road in front of the Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority (LTMUA), was the subject of a $400,000 Small Cities ADA grant, Laffey said, and the LTMUA is contributing some funding for the upgrade of the park.
Laffey said the township would be creating some handicapped parking spaces on the LTMUA entrance side of the park. He said there is already good shade there, but they would be removing some hazardous trees and creating a walking path.
“We will be installing new playground equipment and upgrade the restroom there,” he said.
Laffey said Rotary Park hasn’t been improved for a long time. He said a lot of the upgrades would be geared toward individuals with disabilities, such as a wheelchair swing. The park will also receive the same poured playground surface that Diamond Beach is getting. He said this park will also be redesigned as a multigenerational park, with more ADA accessibility, fitness equipment, and an upgraded playground.
“We want to make it look nice, as well,” Laffey said.
Work on both Diamond Beach Park and Rotary Park will be starting in the next several weeks. Certain permits related to wetlands are still in the works for Rotary Park, but will not stop the work in other areas. Both parks should be finished by the end of May 2024.
Douglass Park has received two new pavilions and is anticipated to be completed in September.
“We are looking at making Douglass Park a beautiful place, as well,” Laffey said.
He said the township would like to extend the walk it constructed along Shore Drive from Lincoln Boulevard, where the new fixed restroom is being constructed, to Douglass Park. However, he said, there are Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permits and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits to be obtained in order to make improvements there.
“We want to create a really great space along the canal,” Laffey said.
Laffey said the township is attempting to obtain Cape May County Open Space Board funding for the Diamond Beach Park project and will be making a presentation to the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners in September. He said the township is rather confident it will receive the funding, but added, “Nothing is set in stone until it is set in stone.”
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
