A new waterfront park that will be nestled in a Brick Township neighborhood will be constructed after a lengthy wait to receive state permits, officials said Tuesday night, awarding a contract for its construction.
The new Cedar Bridge Manor Park will be located in the neighborhood that bears the same name, located off Hooper Avenue on the Metedeconk River along Manor Drive.
Park construction has been planned for some eight years, but the process of obtaining state permits delayed progress, mostly having to do with a small living shoreline and breakwater made from rip-rap to protect the park from erosion. At one point, the state even ordered the township to investigate whether the land was a tribal burial site; no such evidence was found. The final permits were issued in February.
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The township usually prefers not to begin construction projects during the summer, but given the long wait, work on the new facility is expected to begin rapidly.
“We have the permits and we awarded the contract tonight,” Business Administrator Joanne Bergin said after a council meeting. “Once the paperwork comes in, we’ll have a pre-construction meeting, but we want to start this ASAP. We want to get this done, and the residents do too – they really aren’t using the park right now.”
Cedar Bridge Manor Park, Nov. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Cedar Bridge Manor Park, Sept. 2022, from the Metedeconk River. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Cedar Bridge Manor Park, Sept. 2022, from the Metedeconk River. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Last year, the finishing touches were placed on the park’s layout, as well as its amenities, following discussions with residents of the surrounding neighborhood.
A playground that will be built at the park will be moved a bit farther away from the water, said Bergin, based on an idea from parents who were concerned their children could wander into the creek if the equipment was sited directly next to it. More security lighting was added, and the playground replaced bocce courts and a horseshoe pit, which were not in-demand items. A bike rack, however, has been added at the request of residents.
In addition to the playground equipment, the park will feature a kayak launch, exercise equipment, a walking path and the aforementioned bike rack.
The project will also include shoreline restoration – specifically rip-rap stabilization edge with vegetation, similar to what was installed across town at Bay Harbor Park under a pilot program.
The park’s construction will cost $465,412, with the contract having been unanimously awarded to Robbie Lane Enterprises, of Towaco, N.J., which submitted the lowest qualifying bid.
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