Town Of Secaucus Is Building A New Playground In Schmidts Woods

SECAUCUS, NJ — The town is moving full-steam ahead with its plans to build a new playground in Schmidts Woods.

The existing playground that is currently there will remain. So there will be two playgrounds in Schmidts Woods.

This will be a 3,200-square-foot rectangle (likely 32 feet by 100 feet) inclusive playground for children with special needs (such as kids who have mobility issues), and that is why the town pursued the grant funding to build it, said town administrator Gary Jeffas, who is spearheading the project. You can read a preview from the town here: https://secaucusnj.gov/compone...

At the Tuesday night Council meeting, Jeffas provided the public with a summary of the project:

The playground will have play equipment for kids ages 2-12, including a seesaw, and a soft rubber surface. It will be built in what is currently a non-wooded, all-grass area of Schmidts Woods, where there are currently some tall trees and what Jeffas described as "some old cement benches."

No existing trees in that area will be cut down to build the playground, but the benches will be removed, he said.

"There are some really nice large trees (there), and they don't have to come down," said Jeffas Tuesday night.

Also, none of the existing walking trails in Schmidts Woods will be affected.

Jeffas said the town of Secaucus previously told residents the playground is being proposed, and held an initial public hearing on the playground a few weeks ago. He said the town also conducted a community survey on it. Jeffas said the town has received no negative feedback from residents.

But not everyone seems enthused about the new playground. There were two residents at Tuesday night's Council meeting, and they seemed apprehensive. They seemed to be there specifically to hear about the proposed playground and asked Jeffas several critical questions about it.

"I really don't want to be critical, because it is an inclusive playground for kids," said one woman, whose home is right next to Schmidts Woods. "But you have to watch the town on Schmidts Woods."

Schmidts Woods is one of the few remaining wooded areas left in Secaucus. It is used by many for quiet walking, bird-watching and sometimes by local Scouts for camping and campfires.

The playground will be built using Green Acres funding from the state, and the town will try to get matching funds, so there will likely be no cost to Secaucus taxpayers.

The town of Secaucus will submit an application for the Green Acres funding on Feb. 5. If all goes as planned, the town will get the funding in the summer 2025, and the new playground would be completed in spring 2026.

Jeffas said the reason the town wants to build the playground is so kids with special needs have a place to play. Once it is built, there will be three inclusive playgrounds in Secaucus: At Clarendon Elementary, Ivanoski Park on Charles Street and now Schmidts Woods. Towns in New Jersey are nt required to have inclusive playgrounds, he said when Patch asked.

"The mayor and council have been very proactive about inclusive activities," said Jeffas.

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