FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2007

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Anthony Puglisi
(973) 621-2542

Lauren Shears
(973) 621-1590

ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO OFFICIALLY REOPENS REVAMPED BASEBALL FIELD COMPLEX IN ESSEX COUNTY BRANCH BROOK PARK EXTENSION

$1.5 Million Project Modernizes and Enhances Safety on Recreation Fields

Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. officially reopened the baseball/softball field complex in the Branch Brook Park Extension after an extensive renovation was completed on Tuesday, October 23rd. The $1.5 million project, performed in cooperation with the Branch Brook Park Alliance and other community groups, provides modern conditions and improves safety for the school athletic teams and community recreation programs that utilize the fields.

“The Essex County Park System is an open space oasis that provides our residents with opportunities for recreation and relaxation away from the busy streets. In Branch Brook Park, we have upgraded recreation fields in the Middle Division, restored the historic Park Avenue Bridge, addressed flooding problems and beautified other areas of the park to help preserve this natural treasure that past generations had the foresight to create,” DiVincenzo said. “Working in partnership with the Branch Brook Park Alliance, Roberto Clemente Little League and North Ward Center, we have modernized another group of our recreation facilities and made them safer for the many adult leagues, high school athletes and children’s recreation groups that utilize them,” he added.

The biggest changes made to the complex were removing one baseball field so that there are now only three fields and realigning the remaining fields so the outfields do not overlap. These alterations will improve safety because multiple games can be played simultaneously without the fear of players from different fields running into one another. In addition, an irrigation system and new fencing were installed, and pathways around the recreation fields were repaved. Trees in the Extension section were pruned and additional trees were planted around the perimeter of the recreation complex. Pedestrian lighting, park benches and trash receptacles were added and water fountains were repaired.

“Joe always says that Branch Brook Park was his backyard when he was growing up, and many people throughout Essex share that view about all our parks,” Freeholder Patricia Sebold said. “It took a special County Executive to spend the time and effort to make sure our parks are restored to their former glory,” she added.

“We all realize what this park means to the community. People are always here walking on the paths, playing sports on the fields,” Freeholder Samuel Gonzalez said. “When they see the improvements we are making, they realize that people care and they will have pride in how beautiful the park is,” he added.

“This park invites people to come and visit. And that’s what our Park System is for. It’s where people can come to relax, have fun and enjoy themselves,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura said. “Branch Brook Park is like an oasis, and is probably one of the most used parks in the country. These improvements will ensure we continue to meet the needs of the community,” he noted.

“This is another great project for Branch Brook Park, and helping to rebuild and transform the surrounding neighborhood,” Newark Councilman Anibal Ramos said. “We want to thank Joe DiVincenzo for the investment that he has made in the Park System and our neighborhoods,” he added. Also showing support for the improvements were Freeholder Vice President Ralph Caputo and Newark Councilman Carlos Gonzalez.

Funding for the project was provided through the New Jersey Green Acres program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. The Roberto Clemente Little League and the North Ward Center both received $400,000 grants from Green Acres in 2005. Required matching funds were provided by the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.

The Branch Brook Park Alliance hired Rhodeside & Harwell Inc. to design the project. Shauger Property Services of East Orange received a competitively bid $1,497,261 contract to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works was responsible for overseeing the project and monitoring the contractor’s progress.

“The things that have taken place in this park over the last four and a half years are monumental,” said Patricia Ryan, President of the Branch Brook Park Alliance. “With the cooperation of the County Executive and the Parks Department, things are really taking off,” she added. Also during the press conference, DiVincenzo unveiled two commemorative plaques recognizing the 140th anniversary of when the concept for Branch Brook Park was developed as well as the park’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

“We are here today with a lot of history and vision behind us,” said Kathleen Galop, a former Essex County Parks Department employee who spearheaded the effort to get Branch Brook Park on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places. “Today we are celebrating the revitalization of our park facilities, but we are also recognizing another milestone. Joe has show a great love for our parks and a real appreciation for their history. I am thrilled that this day has happened,” she added.

On October 5, 1867, the landscape architectural firm of Olmsted, Vaux and Company from New York submitted their “Report on a Site for a Park at Newark,” which would serve as the foundation for the development of Branch Brook Park. The report identified 60 acres around the city reservoir as suitable for the park, and business leaders recommended spending $1 million to purchase land in the North section of the city for the park. Dedicating land for a public park was a novel idea in the mid-1800s, and it took another 27 years, until 1895, for Branch Brook Park to be developed as the country’s first county park. Branch Brook Park was placed on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places in 1975.

Revitalizing Essex County Branch Brook Park
Under DiVincenzo’s leadership, several projects have been undertaken to upgrade Essex County’s Branch Brook Park.

Currently underway is a project to provide a comprehensive facelift to the Essex County Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in the Branch Brook Park Extension. The improvements will transform the building into a year-round showcase where visitors can learn about the history of the Essex County Park System and the famous Cherry Blossom Tree Groves.

The modernization of the Branch Brook Welcome Center is part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to revitalize Essex County Branch Brook Park and increase the number of Cherry Blossom Trees. The centerpiece of the building will be a “Cherry Blossom Giving Tree” erected in the lobby. The tree will showcase the names of people who donated to a public fund-raising campaign to purchase and plant 2,000 Cherry Blossoms in 2009 and 2010. The lobby will be decorated with murals that depict park scenes and displays will highlight the history of the Essex Park System, the first county park system created in the United States, and the Cherry Blossoms.

In addition, an authentic replica of the historic Octagon Shelter in the Southern Division is progressing. The once popular shelter, designed in 1899 and located on a site called Meeker’s Mound, will be built on the remains of the original structure. The $353,000 project is being funded with a 2005 NJ Green Acres grant on which the County and Alliance worked cooperatively, and matching funds from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board.

A completely reconfigured and modernized Middle Division was reopened to the public in April 2006. Using funding from the Essex County Open Space Trust Fund, the County Executive announced in April 2006 that 2,000 new Cherry Blossom Trees will be planted over the next three years to bring the total number of Cherry Blossoms to 3,000.

The historic restoration of the Park Avenue Bridge was completed in 2005. Entrance enhancements, new fencing and landscaping along Clifton Avenue and a major improvement project to clear debris along Lake Street have made the park more inviting. Essex County also has partnered with the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners River Restoration Program to address flooding conditions along the Second River in the Northern Division by clearing blockages from beneath a series of pedestrian bridges.

The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 17 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range and two dog parks. Branch Brook Park was created in 1895 and is the first park in Essex County’s system. At 359.72 acres, it is the largest county park in Essex.