$2 Million Lindberg Park Improvement Plan Unveiled

Improvements to Lindberg Park could cost up to $2 million and take more than a decade to complete, according to a consulting group that designed a master site plan for the 20-acre park in western Salisbury Township.

Urban Research and Development Corp., which devised the plan with a community steering committee, presented the plan Monday at the second of three public meetings that will be held.

The improvements to the 40-year-old park would be phased in over time and include:

• a 3/4 mile-long bituminous walking trail around the perimeter of the park.
• cross-walks
• natural buffers and fencing
• improvements to the baseball field, including a new backstop, bullpen, batting cages and a storage shed
• renovated pavilion and restrooms
• multi-purpose lawn area
• secondary pathways, vegetated swales and rain gardens
• resting pads and benches along pathways
• nature playground
• a dedicated bike lane on the north side Lindberg Avenue
• new signs and kiosks
• natural elements that include more native plants and the eradication of invasive species
• a drop-off area in the parking lot
• tranquility garden
• pickleball courts

The first phase is estimated to cost $300,000 and includes the installation of the walking trail, native plant buffer and a chainlink fence installed along the ballfield. The remaining 10 phases could cost about $100,000 each and take about two years per project, according to URDC landscape architects Joanne Conley and Len Policelli. Policelli stressed the design is a game plan and elements can be re-prioritized.

Conley said the project could be paid for in multiple ways, including state and local grants, bond referendum and reaching out to community businesses,  banks, schools and hospitals.

Township Manager Randy Soriano said the first phase would likely be paid for with state and county grants. "But you're looking at $2 million [for the entire project]. That's a lot of money. How you find that, that's the key to this," he said.