Watsessing Park Renovation Will Include ADA-Compliant Playground – Bloomfield, NJ Patch
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — When the new Watsessing Park playground opens, it will be a boon to children in Bloomfield and East Orange. All of them, officials say.
Last week, Essex County officials unveiled plans to build an “all-access playground” at the county-run park, as well as a new community center and on-site parking lot.
According to officials, the new all-access playground will be the first of its kind in the Essex County Parks System to be designed for children of all physical abilities. It will replace a traditionally designed facility in the park off of Bloomfield Avenue, and will feature “a variety of playing apparatus for children of all abilities.”
Essex County officials said:
“Handicapped children will be able to enjoy a playground designed with their needs in mind with new swings, bridges and slides. All equipment will be in compliance with ADA and current playground codes. There will also be a parking lot created on-site to facilitate transportation and access to the playground.”
According to officials, the current community center at the park – which was last renovated in 2008 and has been demolished – will be replaced with “an expanded and more modern building.” The structure will have an enlarged room for community meetings, gatherings and events, storage rooms and modern restrooms. The restrooms will be handicap accessible and will be larger in size to accommodate playground users and visitors to the community center.
Officials provided the following details about the project:
“Comito Associates engineers from Newark was awarded a $145,000 contract to design the Watsessing Park community center building. The Shauger Group, Inc. from East Orange was awarded a publicly bid contract for $1,982,580 to perform the construction work. Remington & Vernick Engineers from Secaucus was awarded a $65,000 contract to design the all-access playground. A public bid to construct the playground has not been awarded as of this date. The Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project and answer questions to avoid delays. Funding is provided from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund and with a grant from NJ Department of Community Affairs.”
“Having an all-access playground will bridge the gap between mainstream children and those with handicaps, create a better understanding and foster social relationships,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said. “This is a significant project because it introduces an attractive recreation amenity, modern community center and much needed parking that makes the park more accessible and easier to enjoy.”
Other local elected officials offered enthusiastic support for the planned improvements at the park.
“The community is excited about the playground and the community center,” Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia said. “They will be great additions to an area that is seeing a great deal of growth and economic development.”
“Watsessing Park already is heavily utilized, and I know the playground the community center will attract people from all over,” Essex County Freeholder Patricia Sebold said.
“These additions to Watsessing Park will be a great contribution to Bloomfield and our downtown,” Essex County Freeholder Carlos Pomares agreed.
Bloomfield Councilman and Friends of Watsessing Park member Ted Gamble said that the park has been transformed over the years, and that the new renovations will “resolve a lot of the issues we have raised concerning parking, access and modern facilities.”
“The all-inclusive playground is symbolic of how Watsessing Park has brought together the communities of East Orange and Bloomfield,” Friends of Watsessing Park Vice President Ramon Jiminez said. “It’s fitting that the county’s first all-access playground will be here.”
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Photo: Essex County
