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Grant funding sought for Westvale Park
(by Megan Burrow - September 10, 2008)
Westwood is in the process of applying for a Green Acres grant to continue the revitalization of
Westvale
Park from a former landfill to a state-of-the-art recreation facility.
At the Sept. 2 council meeting, Borough Engineer Stephen Boswell gained the approval of the governing body to design the park’s layout, irrigation, and electrical upgrades.
Boswell originally submitted his proposal for the park on June 19, and at last week’s council meeting asked the governing body to allow him to move forward with the plan.
“There’s about an eight week design phase, which we can cut down to six, but then we’ve got about two months to build it, and we’re trying to get it all done and seeded by November,” he explained the council. “We’re getting closer to the end now and its getting tougher to get it done.”
The town hopes to have the park’s fields completely playable by next spring.
The grant application is due Sept. 20 and would provide funding for the reconfiguration of the park’s fields, restrooms, and field houses.
The borough won’t know precisely how much funding to ask for until Boswell’s design is complete.
The park’s upgrades will include the construction of a soccer field, football field, two baseball fields, a dog run, irrigation, electrical work, and bathrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as fencing, bleachers and trash receptacles.
Borough planner Burgis Associates has drafted a recreation open space element for the master plan that is currently under discussion with the Westwood Planning Board. The plan will help the borough obtain the funding they need to go ahead with the improvements to
Westvale
Park .
Mayor John Birkner expressed optimism that the borough would be able to get the application completed in time and obtain the grant. “It’s gonna be a gut chuck right now to get things going. Right now there’s some money available for us and we certainly received a favorable response down in
Trenton when we made our presentation in March. This is the priority of the borough over the next three week period.”
Megan Burrow's e-mail address is burrow@northjersey.com.
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