JACKSON – Who says you have to be a kid to enjoy a new playground? Recently, township and county officials cut the ribbon on a brand-new facility and some even tried out the attractions.
“I’m thrilled that this inclusive playground in Patriots County Park is located right here in our own town so that everyone, especially children of all abilities, can use, access, and enjoy,” Councilman Nino Borrelli said. Borrelli serves as the council’s liaison to the township’s parks and recreation.
He joined Mayor Michael Reina, Council President Jennifer Kuhn, Councilman Kenneth Bressi, Ocean County Commissioners Jennifier Bacchione and Robert Arace, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Kompan representatives for a full tour of the new site. Kompan designed the inclusive playground at Patriots County Park located at 485 Bowman Road. It was installed by Turf Tek.
Borrelli added “a big thank you to our county officials and vendor Kompan for making this beautiful playground a reality and available for Jackson residents and visitors alike. Mayor Reina, fellow council members and I have been advocating for and working on putting inclusive playground equipment in our township parks.”
The ribbon cutting ceremony took place on a cool, breezy and overcast Monday morning but not a drop of rain fell – perfect for a day at the park.
Mary Jane Bavais, the director of Ocean County Parks and Recreation, served as the master of ceremonies for the occasion.
She introduced Commissioner Arace who serves as the Board’s chairman of Parks and Recreation and who spoke during the ceremony. Commissioner Bacchione however got to hold the big scissors and cut the ribbon to open the playground facility.
Arace noted that “the staff in the Ocean County Parks and Recreation Department does a tremendous job maintaining the 4,000 acre park system operated by the county. Mary Jane and her team continues to make Ocean County a better place for both residents and visitors, and we thank them for all that they do.”
Bavais provided some background to The Jackson Times about the project: “This playground is a great upgrade to Patriots County Park. We have worked on the design and features to make it a great place for families to enjoy.”
She said the playground features “structures that children of all ages and abilities can enjoy much like our other facility upgrades and by keeping inclusive play at the forefront of the design. We incorporated a state of the art work out area for families of all abilities to enjoy. The playground is unique and was designed with a sports theme, exclusively for Patriots County Park.”
“We feel this will be a destination playground for all to enjoy,” Bavais said. The cost was $975,000 and was funded by ARPA American Rescue Plan Act. ARPA was signed in to law March 11, 2021 to aid the nation’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic
Bavais explained that “ARPA funds were used to fund a wide variety of projects to support communities, for economic growth and for the improvement of parks and playgrounds, making them more inclusive and accessible. This funding gave Ocean County an opportunity to revitalize Patriots County Park, making it more enjoyable, accessible and inclusive for our residents and visitors.”
Ocean County Administrator Michael Fiure and Director of Ocean County Business Development and Tourism Sandra Lazzaro-Cifelli were also in attendance.
Council President Kuhn told The Jackson Times, “It was a wonderful event, and I’m thrilled to see the county’s investment in renovating one of our parks here in Jackson. Projects like this create lasting benefits for our families and residents, and it was exciting to watch everyone enjoy the new features firsthand.”
Commissioner Bacchione said she was “very happy to have another great addition in our Ocean County parks – a place for all our residents to enjoy. Thank you to Jackson Township Mayor, Council and our County Parks department for their efforts in creating this project.”
Arace and Fiure were seen enjoying some of the playground equipment as others walked through to check out the new site.
The Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation has been upgrading facilities across the county, with new playgrounds at Freedom Field County Park in Little Egg Harbor, Beaver Dam Creek County Park in Point Pleasant, Tip Seaman County Park in Tuckerton, Lake Shenandoah County Park in Lakewood, Mill Creek County Park in Berkeley Township and Eno’s Pond County Park in Lacey.
There are still upgrades in process at Ocean County Park in Lakewood, and Cattus Island County Park in Toms River. A brand new playground is planned for the newly acquired Matthews Mckinley Park in Lakewood.
