Tinton Falls Seeks Funds For Park Improvements
By ELAINE VAN DEVELDE
While Tinton Falls officials may think theres an awfully high price to pay for having the small convenience of a concession stand and bathrooms built at a borough park, they still sanction taking steps to secure funding for them.
Recently, Borough Administrator W. Bryan Dempsey announced that, if Borough Council approved, an application he had prepared for a Monmouth County open space matching funds grant would be submitted. If secured, the grant would fund the building and installation of bathroom and concession stand facilities at the West Park Avenue Recreation Complex, which are estimated to cost about $500,000. Council members balked at the cost, but not the need.
Theres a need for the facilities for anyone who uses the park, Dempsey said, explaining that currently there are only Porta John stalls at the park. He also emphasized that since the playing fields at the park are frequently used, a concession stand is a near necessity as well.
I think its a good use of the funds, he added.
If the funds are secured, the county will provide $250,000 to the borough and the borough must match that amount, in monetary or in-kind donations, as a condition of accepting the grant. Normally, Dempsey said, the county prefers that such grant money be used for the acquisition of open space, but the facilities are eligible for the funding.
A single project on a single site must be targeted in order to maintain eligibility. The funding amount in this case, said Dempsey, is not enough for any borough acquisition right now. The park facilities, he added, are more affordable and will fulfill an open space/active recreation need in town.
But $500,000 for a small 1,500 square-foot concession stand and bathrooms is a cost that Council President Brendan Tobin just couldnt fathom.
Im shocked at the price, he said. Ill tell you what, I think Im going to go into building these little buildings. Ill get some cement blocks and a little truck and do it myself.
Other council members shook their heads and muttered in agreement with Tobin. Yet, they conceded that the price which the borough engineer explained is fair market value couldnt be argued.
Councilwoman Kim Barrett, who serves as the liaison to the Open Space Committee, questioned whether or not the funds could be used for more than one project. She said she wondered because if the borough happened to get a better deal on the project and funds were left over, her theory was that maybe the leftover money could be used for another open space cause.
The money, Demsey responded, must be applied to one location. He stressed, however, that the boroughs matching $250,000 could be contributed as in-kind work on the project. In other words, he said, if someone in the borough is an architect or a mason, they could donate their professional services to the cause and the estimated cost of those services could be deducted from the $250,000 obligation of the borough toward the cause. The Pop Warner organization, which uses the fields, he said, could also donate time or raise money for the project.
If the county approves the application and doles out the funds, the concession stand and bathrooms will be built in the coming spring or summer, Demspey said.
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