Woodbine Receives Open Space Funding

WOODBINE — The Borough of Woodbine is the recipient of the Open Space Grant from the County of Cape May in the amount of $484,040. The Mayor expressed his appreciation to the members of the Open Space Board and the Board of Chosen Freeholders and applauded their decision which will enable the Borough to develop a facility which will include active and passive recreation opportunities with a strong orientation towards environmental enrichment, preservation, and enhancement of the area’s ecological values in an area already dedicated to both education and recreation.
Mayor Pikolycky noted that this project once constructed will not only enhance and expand opportunities for Borough residents but also for the many visitors who enjoy bicycling and hiking on the many State and National Trail Systems which converge in Woodbine and link to other important resources including the new Mt. Pleasant Off-Road Vehicle Park (New Jersey’s first State-operated), Belleplain State Forest, and Cape May County’s first instructional site of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey at Anne Azeez Hall at the Sam Azeez Museum of Jewish Heritage. Mayor Pikolycky noted that Woodbine’s Eco Park and Recreation Area is immediately adjacent to the Cape May County Library Branch and the Woodbine Community School. “This grant will enable the Borough to initiate the first phase of development of a 25-acre wooded track situated in the center of town and at the convergence of the Coastal Heritage Trail, High Point to Cape May Trail, the Bayshore Heritage Byway, and the Pine Barrens Byway. Improvements will include environmental interpretative stations, fitness stations, walking trails, a general purpose field, pavilion, and related amenities which will help to position Woodbine and the Cape May County Eco Park and Recreation Area as a destination for cyclists, equestrians, and pedestrians,” stated the Mayor.
The Mayor looks forward to advancing this important phase of a planned multi-phased initiative and is excited about the prospects for creating a complex that will support Woodbine’s ongoing eco-tourism in Cape May County for the long term.