By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – The community’s longtime vision for an inclusive “destination park” will finally come to fruition this weekend with the reopening of Marine Park June 27.
Children will race up a 30-foot tower, climb aboard a pirate ship built for wheelchairs, and zip side-by-side down a double zipline at the reimagined park.
Borough officials have planned a host of activities for residents at the grand reopening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. along the Navesink River. Residents and visitors are invited to join the celebration and experience the park’s new amenities firsthand.
The reopened waterfront space features an inclusive playground in addition to new gathering areas, environmental enhancements and resiliency improvements designed to let residents and visitors of all ages and abilities enjoy the waterfront for generations to come.
“We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time,” Mayor Billy Portman said in a news release. “Marine Park has been transformed into a place where families can play, gather, and enjoy our beautiful waterfront. We’re excited to welcome the community back and celebrate this important milestone together.”
Expanded Community Hub,
New Playground
A significant part of the revival plans involved relocating municipal parking away from the river’s edge, allowing the borough to reclaim and convert the former lot into 28,000 square feet of new green space. This expanded lawn area, in addition to a new band shell structure – a covered pergola by the marina – will support community gatherings, cultural celebrations, performances and more recreational programming.
The playground itself covers another approximately 20,000 square feet of space and features a range of inclusive and accessible play experiences, including a 30-foot Quad Cube Tower, a mobility device-accessible pirate ship, a double zipline, ADA-accessible swings, climbing structures, embankment slides and dedicated play spaces for younger children.
Sustainability was also a priority in designing the new park. According to borough officials, the playground incorporates responsibly sourced Robinia hardwood and recycled materials intended to reduce environmental impact while providing durable recreational amenities.
“The Marine Park Playground represents one of the most ambitious and technically intricate projects our team has ever delivered in the Northeast,” Jethro Montzka, president of KOMPAN, the playground’s designer, said in the release. “Its complexity reflects our commitment to designing spaces for all children and families that will inspire imagination, movement, and connection.”
Project Funding
According to the borough, the total cost of the improvement project was over $7 million. Funding was achieved through a combination of borough resources, grants and community partnerships. The borough secured more than $1 million in grant funding for the project. A significant portion of the funding came from a $750,000 grant through New Jersey’s Green Acres Program under Jake’s Law. The law provides state funding for inclusive playgrounds that exceed Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards. The law was established to help communities build playgrounds where children and adults with disabilities can play alongside their peers in fully integrated environments.
The project also received support from the Monmouth County Open Space Grant, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Local Recreation Improvement Grant and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Legislative Grant programs.
Timeline to Completion
Marine Park has served as a waterfront community hub for decades. The borough has hosted concerts and festivals there, including the Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival, among other events. In 2012, Super Storm Sandy damaged much of the 2.2-acre public park, including the old clay tennis courts, parking lots and walkways.
In 2019, borough officials developed a concept plan to revitalize the park into an inclusive playground with expanded green space and riverfront access. Construction began in 2024 and progressed in 2025 ahead of the upcoming reopening.
The borough’s Marine Park Committee, spearheaded by its chair, Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano, included borough manager Jim Gant, councilmembers Ben Forest and Kristina Bonatakis, project engineers Laura Neumann and Michael Reiser, and playground designer John Marshall from KOMPAN. The team worked with residents, accessibility advocates, design professionals and borough staff throughout the project.
“I’ve had the privilege of watching this vision take shape over many years and through countless conversations with residents about what Marine Park means to them,” Triggiano said in the statement. “Their ideas, memories, and hopes for the future helped shape this project. What makes me most proud is that we’ve created a space that honors the park’s legacy while welcoming everyone, especially those who call Red Bank home.”
The article originally appeared in the June 25 – July 1, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
