By Sunayana Prabhu
OCEANPORT – The borough is amping up recreational opportunities for the public, with construction underway this summer at key parks. Maria Gatta Park, Trinity Park, Blackberry Park and Old Wharf Park are some that are now in the improvement stages.
Oceanport borough clerk Jeanne Smith, who is also the borough’s planning and zoning board secretary, said the borough has been going through a “wild whirlwind of activity” since the COVID-19 pandemic. Borough administration is busy upgrading recreational facilities for the current and potential residents in the area, including those coming to Oceanport as part of new developments.
“Our busiest project is the new buildings that are going up on Oceanport Avenue, which is Riverwalk,” Smith said, referring to the nearly 12-acre, mixed-used commercial space along Oceanport Avenue within historic Fort Monmouth.
According to the borough’s 2012 Open Space and Recreation Plan, Oceanport has historically been a “water-oriented community, even back to Colonial days when it was an upriver port for packet and steamship traffic.” The two major tracts of publicly owned land, Fort Monmouth and Monmouth Park, could “significantly impact open space development in the borough.” The administration has, therefore, been focused on the preservation of open space.
Currently, there are 10 borough parks totaling approximately 76 acres. Of these, eight are developed with recreation facilities and two remain as undeveloped wildlife preserves. In addition, there are two public schools in the borough which also provide a variety of recreational opportunities.
The most recent upgrades underway include the following:
Maria Gatta Community Park
Located at 220 Port Au Peck Ave., Maria Gatta is the borough’s largest park at nearly 40 acres. The park is currently in phase 4 of renovations. This phase includes the construction of a restroom facility and a storage facility and the installation of sewer and water services in the park. It also includes the construction of a 2,500-square-foot building that will have a patio area for shade. The borough is applying for a $500,000 grant from the Monmouth County Open Space Grant Program to support this phase. The total estimated cost of the project is approximately $1.5 million.
Blackberry Bay Park
Plans for the borough’s all-inclusive playground at Blackberry Bay Park, which covers almost 19 acres at 440 Port Au Peck Ave., are advancing. The borough received a New Jersey Local Recreation Enhancement Projects (LREP) grant of $68,888 in May this year which will be used to fill in the old pool at the park. Additionally, a $337,000 grant received through the Jake’s Law program last year will be used to install an all-inclusive playground and associated improvements, such as restoring a restroom building and a storage building. The total cost of the project is nearly $400,000.
Jake’s Law program is a special grant extended to municipalities to build all-inclusive playgrounds by the state’s Green Acres Program and administered through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
Trinity Park
Almost a pocket park – covering merely 1.25 acres at Trinity Place – this park includes a playground with a basketball and tennis court. The borough recently received a $74,000 grant for improvements. According to Smith, the total project cost is expected to exceed the grant amount. The planned improvements include the removal of an old tennis court, adding parking, and installing an outdoor walking gym described as a space to walk around the park.
Old Wharf Park
The park comprises nearly 3 acres around Oceanport Creek at 315 E. Main St., overlooking the marina. The Old Wharf House, a community center for seniors, is located on the park’s premises. The borough received Monmouth County Open Space Grant funds about two years ago, but the plans to upgrade Old Wharf Park were delayed due to certain capital project approvals in the budget. “We’re hopeful that we’ll get to do the project this fall,” Smith said. The improvements include removing the existing bocce ball courts and expanding the parking lot “so that our seniors are able to park near the building and not in a lot across the street,” she said.
The article originally appeared in the July 11 – July 17, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
