North Bergen optimistic about county grant for 46th Street Park improvements

North Bergen may receive county grant funds that will help fund the planned improvements to 46th Street Park, according to officials.

At the Feb. 23 meeting of the Board of Commissioners, Chief Financial Officer Robert Pittfield said that township officials had met with the county earlier in the week.

“The Open Space meeting on the application was yesterday,” Pittfield said. “It went well, so we may get $500,000 from there.”

After the meeting, Pittfield confirmed to the Hudson Reporter that the township had presented its 2022 Open Space application to the Hudson County Open Space Advisory Board on Feb. 22. He said the application is for $500,000 for improvements to the 46th Street Park ball field.

“The project application was well received by the board and the township remains optimistic that we will receive Open Space funding in this regard,” Pittfield said.

Previously in December of 2021, the board approved two resolutions applying for grant funds from the Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund for renovations to 46th Street Park. The park is located at 1223 46th Street, across from the Grove Church Cemetery.

According to Pittfield, the township had been looking to renovate the park for some time. And this isn’t the first grant the township has applied to in regards to the project; previously, it applied for a state grant through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres program for the project, to no avail.

Now, the township is optimistic the county will come through with necessary funding for the improvements and terrain grading required at the park.

Proposed park improvements

The park is currently home to a playground, a basketball court, a baseball field, and a pedestrian walkway surrounding the baseball field as well as other amenities. The board approved the township’s submission of two separate applications, for both park and ball field upgrades, at its Dec. 8 meeting.

For the park area, the township is looking to: put in new playground equipment; resurface the basketball courts and outfit them with new backboards and rims; install new sheltered park benches; create an expanded splash park; repave the pedestrian walkway; repave the parking lot and add new spaces; install a trench system for draining; renovate the restrooms and storage building; relocate the dog run; create a new regular seating area; install new fencing; repair the existing staircase; and install new in-ground trash receptacles throughout the park. 

For the ball field area, the North Bergen is seeking to: install synthetic turf for both baseball and softball that includes a synthetic shock absorption for safety; put in a drainage system; replace the light fixtures and fencing; install a press box, covered bleachers, an on-field ball pens and new dugouts. 

There are no renderings or plan specifics yet, as the township seeks to first secure financing for the project. North Bergen is seeking to completely modernize the park and ball fields, akin to recent renovations at Policeman’s Memorial Park at 1455 Union Turnpike and the opening of the new park at 1811 Paterson Plank Road.

Meanwhile, the township is also conducting the second phase of the renovations to 10th Street Park. Additionally, the new Community Center and Library is currently under construction but nearing completion at 2123 Kennedy Boulevard.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.