Bridgewater Park In 'Desperate Need Of Remediation,' Resident Calls For Volunteerism

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — As Bridgewater works on a plan to improve township parks, one resident is highlighting the urgent need for help at Alfred S. Brown park in the Bradley Gardens section.

"It is in desperate need of remediation and is beyond the hard work and diligence of the DPW," said Bridgewater resident Jennifer Loughran at the July 18 township council meeting.

The park, located off Beach Avenue and adjacent to Bradley Gardens Elementary School, has an outdoor hockey rink, tennis court, and playground.

"The old hockey rink is awful, and it's the first thing you see. The parking lot is a mess, there is no lighting, the paths are not great and the tennis courts are rapidly declining," said Loughran. "In the short term, it would be really great to have some shade on the tennis courts. In the summer, they are barely usable for 3 or 4 hours."

Patch visited the park on Saturday and saw weeds growing through the cracked asphalt of the hockey rink and the playground's paint was peeling along with the wood framing was worn out.

Bridgewater Administrator Mike Pappas said the township is aware of the conditions at that park as it is in the process of evaluating all of its parks to update its master plan.

"Last summer we visited every park and spent a couple of days doing this. The township certainly made extensive notes of the conditions of each of the components of the park," said Pappas.

The township has 19 parks and Pappas noted Bridgewater is working on a plan that would best suit each park for the upgrades.

The goal is to have the plan completed by the end of the year to present to the public and then set aside funding in its budget next year to execute the plan, according to Pappas.

Additionally, Pappas noted that the St. Bernard Youth Ministry Summer Camp volunteered at Alfred S. Brown Park on July 28, and with the help of the DPW, spread fresh mulch around the park. They also picked up two trash bags of litter while they were out.

To get the ball rolling and improvements sooner, Loughran suggested that Bridgewater tap into the community to promote volunteerism and cultivate stewardship.

"I know firsthand and with endless gratitude that Bradley Gardens shows up when you need them to. People are willing to help because Alfred S Brown park is a landmark to be proud of and it represents the essence of good neighbors and it is legacy of as one the earliest wins against overdevelopment in Bridgewater," said Loughran.

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