In Bloomfield: Essex County Plans To Revamp Brookdale Park Playground

Essex County will be embarking on a $1.2 million project to replace the playground in Essex County Brookdale Park with state-of-the-art equipment and a rubberized safety surface.

According to a release, the original playground was opened about 14 years ago. Because of its age, it has been difficult to find parts to repair broken apparatus and several play attractions have been removed.

The release described the county’s plans for the playground:

“The project includes the complete removal of the existing equipment and play surfaces and combines the four separate play areas into one large playground. The new consolidated design will enhance safety by including children in one location and will make ground maintenance more efficient for parks staff. The entire playground will be enclosed with a four-foot tall chain linked fence.

“Play areas will be divided into two areas: age-appropriate apparatus for children ages 2-5 includes climbing structures that resemble a log crawl, monarch butterfly, turtle, rabbit and mushroom set and age-appropriate apparatus for children ages 5-12 includes a cargo net for climbing, space whirl, rock climber and swings. The playground will have a rubberized safety surface, drinking fountains, picnic tables, park benches, bicycle racks, trash receptacles and water misters. An existing pathway that connects the playground to the parking area will be reconfigured for handicap accessibility.”

Remington & Vernick from Secaucus received a $52,975 contract to design the new playground. Tec-Con from East Orange was awarded a publicly bid contract for $1,222,410 to perform the construction work.

According to a release, the Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project to answer questions and avoid delays. The playground modernization is being funded with a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.

It is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2015.