$2M In Upgrades Coming To Yanticaw Park Athletic Fields In Nutley

NUTLEY, NJ — It will soon be a whole new ballgame for the fields at Yanticaw Park in Nutley, county officials say.

There’s a plan to carry out a $2.08 million modernization of the baseball and softball fields at the county-run park, officials announced Thursday.

Here’s what to expect, Essex County officials said:

“The John Henry Walker Memorial Baseball Field and an adjacent Little League baseball/softball field will have an improved underground drainage system installed and a synthetic playing surface installed on the infields of both fields. The outfields of both fields will remain as natural grass. New fencing, covered dugouts, bleachers for spectators, pathways and landscaping will be installed. In addition, the pathways around the two sports fields will be repaved and additional landscaping planted.”

The upgrades are expected to reduce maintenance and maximize use of the fields.

French and Parrello from Wall received a professional services contract of $91,925 to design the field improvements. Zenith Construction from Orange was awarded a publicly bid contract of $1,994,450 to perform the construction work.

The Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project, which is being funded with grants from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund and the American Rescue Fund, county officials said.

“Improving the infields with synthetic surfaces is a way to address the condition of the field and preserve more natural turfed areas in our parks,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

Nutley Mayor Joseph Scarpelli also had words of praise for the plan to invest in renovating the athletic fields at Yanticaw Park.

“I am happy to get the pathway around the fields upgraded – it will be greatly appreciated by the people who walk here,” Scarpelli said. “And the improvements to the fields will be a great addition as well.”

The announcement also got a cheer from Nutley High School Athletic Director Joe Piro, who was accompanied at Thursday’s news conference by Nutley Schools Superintendent Kent Bania, Nutley High School Principal Dennis Williams, Nutley high school baseball coach Eric Pazio and Assistant Superintendent for Business Dave DiPisa.

“We have a great partnership with the county, and this is just another example of that,” Piro said.

County officials said the renovations at Yanticaw Park will come on the heels of similar efforts at two other county-run spaces: Brookdale Park (in Montclair and Bloomfield) and Branch Brook Park (in Newark and Belleville).

Bloomfield Mayor and Assemblyman-elect Michael Venezia attested to the success of the new fields at Brookdale Park.

“The county did the same thing by installing synthetic surface infields in Brookdale Park and it really has made a difference,” Venezia said.

• See Related: $3.7M In Field Upgrades At Brookdale Park Hit Finish Line

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