Upgrades At Ivy Hill Park In Essex County Cross The Finish Line

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A project to modernize recreation facilities at Essex County Ivy Hill Park in Newark has crossed the finish line, officials announced Thursday.

According to the county, a new comfort station with two all-gender bathrooms that are handicapped-accessible was constructed next to the Mike Sheppard Sr. Softball Field in the northern corner of the park. People using the field will no longer have to walk to the Mt. Vernon Place side of the park to access restroom facilities.

In addition, LED fixtures were installed on the light poles, the dugouts at the Sheppard Field were updated and landscaping was planted around the building and field.

French and Parrello from Wall received a professional services contract for $99,500 to design the building. Grove Contracting from Cedar Grove was awarded a publicly bid contract for $1,076,525 to perform the construction work, officials said.

The project was funded with grants from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund and the American Rescue Program.

Seton Hall University director of athletics and recreation Bryan Felt said the upgrades are a “wonderful enhancement,” and softball coach Angela Churchill agreed.

“It is a huge improvement for our softball team which uses the field and for others coming to the park,” Churchill said.

The news about Ivy Hill Park comes just a few days after the county announced that there are plans to roll out a $9.3 million series of upgrades at the Essex County Weequahic Golf Course in Newark. See Related: Sweeping Facelift Coming For Golf Course In Newark

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