Manalapan Awarded $54K For Playground Surfacing Improvement

MANALAPAN, NJ — Manalapan Township is among 27 municipalities that were recently awarded open space grants to help fund park improvements, the Board of County Commissioners said.

In total, the board awarded grants totaling $6 million to help fund park improvements in 27 Monmouth County municipalities through their 2025 Municipal Open Space Grant Program.

According to county officials, the program provides vital funding that helps municipal officials meet their local open space acquisition, recreation, historic and conservation goals.

The program has become one of the most successful commissioner-sponsored programs, officials said, and is the primary method that the county uses to assist municipalities in meeting the recreational needs of residents.

“This important annual program is one of many ways in which the County works with its municipal partners to ensure local parks are constructed and upgraded for our residents,” said Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone.

“Providing funding for parks and open spaces in our communities helps residents to maintain and improve their physical and mental health,” Arnone continued. “My fellow Commissioners and I are proud to be able to offer this successful grant program to all Monmouth County municipalities and we encourage residents to visit the beautiful parks throughout our County.”

In Manalapan, $54,272 in funding was awarded to the township for Dreyer All-Inclusive Playground Surfacing, officials said.

The other municipalities that were awarded funding through the 2025 Municipal Open Space Grant program, and the amount each awardee received, are as follows:

• Allenhurst (Railroad Park Plaza – Phase III - $144,727)
• Atlantic Highlands (Improvements to Municipal Harbor Park - $180,908)
• Belmar (Silver Lake Recreation Trail Reconstruction Project - $203,341)
• Brielle (Brielle Eco Path - $75,981)
• Eatontown (F. Bliss Arboretum and Wildlife Sanctuary Bridge Replacement - $161,370)
• Fair Haven (21 Fair Haven Road Waterfront Improvements - $361,817)
• Freehold Borough (Veterans Park Improvement Project - $49,931)
• Freehold Township (Opatut Park Improvement Project - $122,294)
• Hazlet (Interior Fit Out of Pre-fabricated Recreation Building - $361,817)
• Highlands (Improvements at Veterans Memorial Park, Improvements at Huddy Park, and Community Center Improvements - $225,050)
• Little Silver (Markham Place Complex Improvements - $220,708)
• Long Branch (Van Court Park Improvements - $361,817)
• Manasquan (Winterstella Park Playground Improvements - $344,811)
• Matawan (Terhune Park Improvements - $180,908)
• Middletown (Kunkel Park Site Improvements - $361-817)
• Millstone Township (Baird Homestead Improvement Project 2025 - $126,636)
• Monmouth Beach (Monmouth Beach Memorial Park and Griffin Park Fitness Equipment - $108,545)
• Neptune City (Improvements to Memorial Park and Adams Field - $361,817)
• Neptune Township (Improvements to Sunshine Park Playground - $267,744)
• Oceanport (Blackberry Bay Park Improvements – $280,770)
• Red Bank (Count Basie Park Open Space Improvement Project - $361,817)
• Rumson (Jumping Point Park – West Park - $361,817)
• Spring Lake (Marucci Memorial Park Improvements – Phase III - $217,090)
• Union Beach (Scholer Park Improvements – Phase XI - $68,022)
• Wall Township (Camp Evans Recreational Upgrades – Phase II - $361,817)
• West Long Branch (Valenzano Park - $72,363)

“The board appreciates the tireless efforts by municipal officials to create beautiful parks, playgrounds, and green spaces that enhance quality of life for their residents,” said Commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System.

“Although resources are limited and grant demand remains high, the board is proud to support our municipalities in strengthening the communities that make Monmouth County such a desirable place to live and grow," Licitra continued.

To learn more about the grants, you can click here.