On August 19th, Ocean County[1] awarded E&LP a contract to “provide the Design and Permitting of a new County Park in the Township of Manchester.”[2] We are excited to work with our team, Andropogon, Kimmel Bogrette, Studio Ludo, Aqueous, Biohabitats, and VJ Associates, and we are thankful for the opportunity to provide survey services, lead the conceptual design of the new Ocean County Park that will be centered on sustainability and resiliency, and advance this distinctive project through construction administration[3]:
“The ~215 acre future County Park site located on Rt. 571 in Manchester Township was acquired by The County of Ocean in 2019, from private owners, as well as a donation from the Township of Manchester, is bound by Rt. 547 and the railroad (see attached aerial photo)[4]. The parcel is also bisected by Ridgeway Blvd, creating a unique opportunity for the development of a County Park which offers both active, and passive recreation in a single park.
Ultimately, the environmental conditions of the site will dictate where and how the development will take place. It has always been the desire of Ocean County to fit park amenities into the site, and let the geography, ecology, and beauty of the various parks sites to dictate how the parks will fit into the landscape. The objective of the design is to fit the park into the landscape, as such, mature trees, interesting natural features, and specimen trees/shrubs shall be identified, surveyed, so during the construction phase these unique features of the park are preserved, and not damaged or removed. … The goal is cluster the development of the active amenities in a small footprint as it relates to the site as a whole.”[5]
Some of the new County Park’s[6] features will include “a comfort station, flag area, picnic pavilions, water fountains [spray park], playground, pickle ball court, soccer field, baseball/softball field, open play field, as well as hiking trails.” Manchester Mayor Kenneth T. Palmer emphasized that “‘This [new County Park] will benefit our residents and the entire region. … It is something we’ve been asking for.’”[7]
[1] https://wobm.com/a-new-public-county-park-planned-for-manchester-township/
[2] https://webhost.co.ocean.nj.us/ocbidportal.nsf
[3] https://www.jerseyshoreonline.com/manchester/manchester-to-be-home-to-newest-ocean-county-park/
[4]https://webhost.co.ocean.nj.us/ocbidportal.nsf/0/1248a389c87a50d08525858f004394f9/$FILE/Engineering%20Services%20Manchester%20Park%20-%20MAP.pdf
[5]https://webhost.co.ocean.nj.us/ocbidportal.nsf/0/1248a389c87a50d08525858f004394f9/$FILE/Engineering%20Services%20for%20the%20Design%20&%20Permitting%20of%20a%20New%20County%20Park%20in%20Manchester%20Twp..pdf
[6] https://patch.com/new-jersey/manchester-nj/manchester-site-chosen-new-park-ocean-county
[7] https://manchestertwp.com/manchesters-c-ounty-park-plans-move-forward/
Four Design Strategies for New Ocean County Park
