By Sunayana Prabhu
FREEHOLD – Twenty-seven Monmouth County municipalities recently received county open space grants. Nine are in the Two River area.
The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners announced Sept. 29 that $9.15 million in grants will help fund municipal park improvements in the selected towns. The county awarded the grants through its 2026 Municipal Open Space Grant (MOSG) program.
The Two River-area municipalities receiving grants include:
• $350,000 to Atlantic Highlands for East Avenue Park recreation infrastructure improvements
• $55,000 to Colts Neck for Bucks Mill Park facilities improvement
• $65,000 to Eatontown for F. Bliss Price Arboretum & Wildlife Sanctuary bridge replacement, phase two
• $272,500 to Highlands for Kavookjian Field Infrastructure Improvements
• $200,000 to Holmdel for the Robert Labbe Memorial Park renovation
• $387,000 to Little Silver for Santelle Park improvements
• $100,000 to Monmouth Beach for Griffin Park/Tocci Avenue boat ramp and kayak launch
• $192,250 to Red Bank for Johnny Jazz Park improvements
• $500,000 to Tinton Falls for Walz Park improvement
Barbara Kovelesky, Holmdel’s assistant township administrator, said the township will add another $200,000 to match the county’s grant, bringing total upgrades to Robert Labbe Memorial Park to $400,000. The park is located at 24 Orchard Ave., off Route 35. “The township will be adding a new tot lot, renovate the basketball courts, add landscaping, shade structures, benches and refillable water station at the park,” Kovelesky said.
“These funds will help our towns maintain and enhance the parks where families gather, children play and residents can enjoy the outdoors,” Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said in a statement from the county. “We encourage everyone to take advantage of these wonderful green spaces right here in Monmouth County.”
The MOSG program is the primary way the county assists municipalities in meeting the recreational needs of their residents. The program provides funding to help municipalities with local open space acquisition and recreation, historic preservation and conservation goals.
In 2023, the board revised the MOSG program and split it into two new programs: a grant program for parks and open space development projects and a shared services program to assist with municipal open space acquisitions. According to the county website, the open space grant program was previously limited to $2 million a year and up to $250,000 per project. The new grant program is funded at $6 million a year and up to $500,000 per project.
According to the county’s July 17 workshop presentation on open space grants, since the 2003 inception of the county’s municipal park improvement grant, 370 grants have been awarded. The park improvement grant is an annual, competitive, matching grant program funded by the county’s open space trust fund. Fifty-one of the county’s 53 towns have received more than $66.4 million for local park acquisition and development projects.
“As liaison to the Monmouth County Park System, I have the opportunity to see firsthand the tremendous work that goes into maintaining the parks and recreational spaces our residents enjoy,” Commissioner Ross F. Licitra said in the statement. “Supporting our municipalities is an important part of making sure communities have the resources to care for these spaces and provide residents with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.”
The article originally appeared in the October 15 – 21, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
