$700K Sought To Create All-Inclusive Playground In Holmdel

HOLMDEL, NJ — The Township Committee gave its approval Tuesday to pursue a $700,000 Green Acres grant to bring a re-imagined, all-inclusive playground to Cross Farm Park.

At a hearing Tuesday night, the township agreed to seek funding through the State of New Jersey Green Acres Program for improvements at the site, 85 acres located on Longbridge Road between Route 520 on the north and Swimming River Reservoir on the south.

Cross Farm Park Playground would be a "completely inclusive" playground, said Township Administrator Jay Delaney.

You can see a concept plan of the proposed site here, which includes such features as a web walk and bongos, as well as a sensory wave entry and accessible ramp link and an ADA crow's nest with a telescope.

The project would include removal of the old, damaged playground equipment, minimal playground surface grading and installation of Jake’s Law-compliant fully inclusive playground equipment and play surface.

“Jake’s Law,” signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2018, provides incentives for governments to build inclusive playgrounds for children and adults with disabilities. The term “Jake’s Law” refers to Jake’s Place, a playground in Cherry Hill, that was created in honor of Jacob Cummings-Nasto, who passed away due to complications of heart surgery at the age of two and a half.

The Holmdel grant would also allow for general maintenance of access points to provide access for visitors of all abilities. The project will be completed at one time and phasing will not be required, the application says.

Cross Farm Park is an ideal location for an all-inclusive playground, the township said in the application.

It is the township’s most active recreational facility, the center of the township’s recreation programs and accommodates the town's primary athletic fields, walking paths, and a children’s splash pad park, the application notes.

The projected cost would cover the following:

• Removal of existing playground and concrete curbing ($61,000).
• Synthetic turf surfacing for the playground area ($187,696).
• Standard equipment lump sum ($226,120).
• Custom baseball glove climber ($40,000).
• Custom soccer climber slide ($40,000).
• Installation of equipment by certified installer ($145,184)

A concept plan, preliminary cost estimate, and an environmental impact assessment for the project is available for review at: www.holmdeltownship.com.

Written comments on the proposed application may be directed to: Jay Delaney, Township Administrator, jdelaney@holmdeltownship.com and 4 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733.