HOLMDEL –A new, modern activity center focused on nature appreciation is coming to Holmdel Park. It will replace the building on Longstreet Road that the Monmouth County Park System has been using for 30 years.
Robin Ostrowski, park system principal landscape architect, said a new facility was essential because the house is breaking down with age and has ADA accessibility compliance concerns which need to be addressed.
“We haven’t been able to use the activity center of late for several reasons, mostly because we’ve outgrown it. We really need to build a new one,” Ostrowski said.
In 1975, the Monmouth County Park System purchased an 11.68-acre parcel next to Holmdel Park on Longstreet, near the intersection with Crawfords Corner Road. The property included a split-level house, which over the years has hosted numerous grade school classes and youth groups for general natural history lessons and nature interpretation programs.
According to the park system’s request for proposal for architectural and engineering services, “the building has outlived its useful life span and is no longer suitable for public use. Utilities need replacing and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access to and within the building is problematic.”
“We looked into restoring the home and making all the accessibility upgrades but the project would have been too costly. It’s more cost-effective to start fresh and build something new,” Ostrowski.
Ostrowski said the existing activity center will be torn down and the new construction will be built on the same site; it is expected to include a program room, a covered outdoor space and new restroom facilities.
The site’s existing Long Street Road entrance and parking area will be maintained and a vegetative buffer will be installed between the roadway and the site.
Improvements to ensure a safer link between the activity center and the entrance of the 566-acre park and its outdoor recreational opportunities – including the historic and operational Longstreet Farm – are also in the works.
Though a budget is still being crafted to encompass the entire scope of the proposed work, the Monmouth County Park System Board of Commissioners has recommended the acceptance of an $89,900 proposal by the Hamilton-based Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc. for the preparation of plans and construction documents for the project.
As for the site plan, Ostrowski said it is only conceptual at this point and still needs to be presented and reviewed by the Holmdel Township Planning Board.
Ostrowski noted the park system hopes to have the project ready for bid by November or December 2019.
This article was first published in the May 16-22, 2019 print edition of The Two River Times.
