Current equipment outdated; city also wants funds to improve bike path
SOMERS POINT — The city may get help from the state paying for playground equipment at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park and improvements to the bike path.
On Jan. 23, engineer Greg Schneider presented a couple of proposals for City Council to consider that would fall under the Green Acres grant program. Council later approved the applications.
The first project would replace the playground equipment at the park.
“It’s a fairly simple plan. The concept is to replace the existing playground equipment with new all-inclusive playground equipment,” he said.
Schneider said the playground is outdated and in need of replacement, and that doing so with a Completely Inclusive Playground would satisfy grant stipulations.
He said one requirement of receiving the funds is that the project complies with Jake’s Law, which was passed in 2018 to encourage the construction of inclusive playgrounds designed with standards exceeding those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
According to the Department of Community Affairs, Green Acres has always funded inclusive, accessible playgrounds through its park development grants and loans. However, starting with the 2023 funding round it made available 75% matching grants to counties and municipalities for Completely Inclusive Playgrounds that are designed according to special guidelines established by the DCA as a result of Jake’s Law.
Although Green Acres will continue to fund completely inclusive playgrounds, the 2025 funding round will be the last opportunity for these special non-competitive incentive grants. The application deadline is Feb. 5.
Another stipulation is that the city provide an environmental impact statement, which Schneider said would be negligible because it is a simple replacement project. One change would be adding an ADA-compliant path between the playground area and the public restrooms.
Looking at plans for the project, Councilwoman Janice Johnston asked if the fence around the playground were necessary. Schneider said it is another requirement of receiving the funding.
The project’s estimated cost was $422,648; the city’s share would be $105,662.
Bike path upgrades
The second project would upgrade the two replica trolley stations along the bike path and add interpretive signage, benches, exercise stations and trees from Groveland Avenue north.
“That’s the only portion of the bike path that qualifies,” Schneider said, noting that’s because of the proximity of apartment complexes at Groveland and Ocean Heights avenues.
He said it was presented as a 100% grant but actually funds only 25%.
“City Council has to decide whether this grant is worth it. Obviously 25% is better than nothing but you can get a lot better grants than that,” Schneider said.
However, he said, city grant consultant Jim Rutala thinks the city could leverage other funding, such as historic preservation or recreation grants, to pay for part of the upgrades.
Schneider said the funding would mostly go toward improvements at the stations, which were built in the 1970s as an homage to the historic stations along the route, noting the wood is starting to rot. He said the sites are cleared, meaning no permits would be required and there would be a positive environmental impact through removal of invasive trees.
Johnston asked about the timeframe for funding, wondering whether there would be enough time to seek other grants.
Schneider said the city would have two years from the date of receiving the award, which could take six to nine months, to start the project.
Councilman Sean McGuigan asked whether the grant could be used to boost parking on the west side of Atlantic Avenue near Dawes Avenue School, possibly as a dedicated lot for using the bike path.
Schneider said it would have to be tied to the project in some way and that he would look into the possibility.
The bike path extends north through Linwood and Northfield to Pleasantville and connects with the Route 52 bridge into Ocean City, as well as to Upper Township via a path across Great Egg Harbor Bay along the Garden State Parkway.
The bike path was built on the old Shore Fast Line operated by the Atlantic City and Shore Railroad beginning in 1906. In the 1970s, municipalities along the line started converting the old rail beds into a walking path by adding street lights and stop signs.
Two of the previous stations remain, one near Groveland Avenue named Launch Haven and another near Myran Avenue named Glyn Neath. Schneider said the project would include signs with information about each station.
The project also would include removal of invasive species such as Tree of Heaven, a favorite dinner of the spotted lanternfly, between Ocean and Ocean Heights avenues.
Schneider provided a cost estimate of $341,407, which would leave the city paying about $265,055.
During public comment, city resident Rob Hopkins, a member of the Economic Development Advisory Commission, thanked Schneider for putting the proposals together so quickly — the resolutions had to be added last minute to the agenda.
“This is not just a playground for kids, it’s for parents, grandparents and the community,” he said of the JFK Park proposal.
John Helbig, chairman of the Environmental Commission, said he supports both grant applications.
“A playground of this type would be a great amenity for our community,” Helbig said. “The bike path is the city’s most significant recreation amenity and used by people of all ages — walkers, runners, dog walkers — and anything we can do to enhance that and tying it to other grants would be great.”
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
