Count Basie Park in Red Bank will benefit from a $361,817 grant from the Monmouth County 2025 Municipal Open Space Grant program. Sunayana Prabhu
By Sunayana Prabhu
MONMOUTH COUNTY – Several Two River-area towns will receive a substantial portion of the $6 million in grants awarded by the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners to support municipal park improvements.
Out of 53 municipalities in Monmouth County, 27 received grants in the 2025 Municipal Open Space Grant program, nine of which are in the Two River area.
Those municipalities were awarded funding for various projects, including:
• Atlantic Highlands: $180,908 for upgrades to Municipal Harbor Park.
• Fair Haven: $361,817 for improvements to the 21 Fair Haven Road waterfront.
• Highlands: $225,050 for work at Veterans Memorial Park, Huddy Park and the community center.
• Little Silver: $220,708 for upgrades to the Markham Place complex.
• Middletown: $361,817 for improvements at Kunkel Park.
• Monmouth Beach: $108,545 for fitness equipment at Monmouth Beach Memorial Park and Griffin Park.
• Oceanport: $280,770 for improvements at Blackberry Bay Park.
• Red Bank: $361,817 for open space upgrades at Count Basie Park.
• Rumson: $361,817 for improvements at Jumping Point Park and West Park.
“This important annual program is one of many ways in which the county works with its municipal partners to ensure local parks are constructed and upgraded for our residents,” said commissioner director Thomas A. Arnone in a statement last month announcing the 2025 grant recipients. “Providing funding for parks and open spaces in our communities helps residents to maintain and improve their physical and mental health.”
The program provides vital funding that helps municipal officials meet their local open space acquisition, recreation, historic preservation and conservation goals. According to Arnone, more than 1,200 acres of open space were preserved across Monmouth County last year.
The grants are disbursed through the county’s Open Space Land Trust, which residents contribute to through their property taxes annually. During the general election in November, the county received voter approval on a ballot question to raise the Open Space tax from 2.75 cents to 3.75 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation.
These funds directly support the county’s land preservation efforts, including the preservation of farms, the purchase of new municipal park land, the restoration of historic sites, the construction of new recreational facilities and municipal grant awards for local parks.
According to the Monmouth County Open Space Trust Fund factsheet, Monmouth was the first county in New Jersey to establish an open space trust fund in 1987. The fund has helped preserve more than 571 properties, adding 9,967 acres of county-owned open space. The factsheet also states that since the Municipal Open Space Grant Program was established in 2002, 51 of Monmouth County’s 53 municipalities have participated, with 291 grants awarded for land acquisition and park development totaling $61 million.
County officials are currently in active negotiations with owners of nearly 20 properties to acquire land for preservation purposes.
“The board appreciates the tireless efforts by municipal officials to create beautiful parks, playgrounds, and green spaces that enhance quality of life for their residents,” said commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System. “Although resources are limited and grant demand remains high, the board is proud to support our municipalities in strengthening the communities that make Monmouth County such a desirable place to live and grow.”
The article originally appeared in the December 4 – 10, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
