VILLAS – Lower Township Manager Michael Laffey announced a $1.2 million Open Space grant at the Jan. 20 Lower Township Council meeting. The money will help fund a $2 million upgrade to Mulligan Park, at Harvard and Tomlin avenues, in Villas.
Council passed a $1.5 million bond ordinance June 15, and a $400,000 Clean Communities grant was set aside for the work. The municipality’s share of the project will cost $606,000, according to Laffey.
The new park, to be named the Clem Mulligan Sports Complex, will sit on the same footprint as the current park, but will feature considerable upgrades, including a regulation Little League field, a soccer/all-purpose field, resurfaced basketball courts, age-specific playgrounds, a lighted walking path and a new snack bar with Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant bathrooms.
Security concerns at the park were addressed with new lighting and low-height shrubbery. The park will not be completely locked at night, with the walking trail available at all hours.
The playground area will feature new equipment, with age-specific play areas for children 2-5 years old and another for 5-12 years old.
The basketball court backboards were recently upgraded, but the court will be resurfaced.
Parking will be available on the Bates and Caroline avenues sides of the field.
Construction on the complex could begin in early spring.
