John C. Bartlett Jr. County Spray Park Reopening Thursday

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — On Thursday, Ocean County will reopen 14 of its parks, along with the John C. Bartlett Jr. County Park at Berkeley Island spray park. Those visiting the newly reopened spray park should be mindful of parks' new hours and rules.

Starting Thursday, the spray park will be open only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, and the number of people using the park at any given time will monitored and restricted by park workers.

The county, in a release, stated the spray park will have one entrance and one exit, and users will be limited to time slots so everyone has a chance to play in the park.

Users are encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer to use before and after visiting the park, Ocean County Freeholder Virginia E. Haines said in a release. The county is also prohibiting park goers from bringing food, drinks or toys with them to the parks.

“It’s important to observe social distancing rules and to wear a mask when using these facilities and especially when you are around other people,” Haines added. “The spray park and the playgrounds are very popular with our residents and visitors, particularly children, and while we want the experience to be enjoyable it’s imperative that it’s also safe for everyone including park department staff.”

The release states all county park sites have reopened their bathrooms to the public. Users using the bathrooms must wear face masks, the release stated. Visitors to dog parks in the county system are also urged to wear masks.

As of Tuesday, nature centers at Cattus Island County Park, Toms River, Jakes Branch County Park, Beachwood and Wells Mills County Park in Waretown remain closed.

In a statement, Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari said health and safety are still priorities, and residents are asked to do their part to help prevent the spread of the virus.

“The health and safety of our residents and visitors is paramount. It’s important that we continue to follow social distancing rules and use face masks," Vicari said. "We all need to remember that our actions don’t affect just us, they affect our family, they affect our health care workers, they affect our emergency responders, they affect the workers at our grocery stores.”