The Borough of New Providence was awarded a $74,000 Local Recreation Improvement Grant Award to aid in the re-development of the Oakwood Park Playground. The Borough has obtained an estimate for the creation of an inclusive playground at Oakwood Park, and hopes to move forward with the project in 2025 with full support from Mayor and Council. An award from the State’s Green Acres Program is also pending.
The Local Recreation Improvement Grants were awarded to counties, municipalities, and school districts across New Jersey to ensure public access to quality outdoor space and recreational facilities. A total of 372 local governments received the awards after a competitive application process. This represents the highest number of local governments to receive grants in the three years the program has been operating.
“The Borough of New Providence has always placed a high value on our Parks and Recreation facilities” said New Providence Mayor Al Morgan. “The past four years has shed an even bigger light on the essential role that they play in the social and emotional well-being of our children and residents. We have many residents using our facilities for passive and active recreation, and we want to ensure that they are accessible for all. The Local Recreation Improvement Grant award will help us achieve the goal of creating an inclusive playground at Oakwood Park, and we are proud to receive this funding”.
The plans for the Oakwood Park renovation were shared by New Providence Recreation Director Allison Smith at the January 23 Borough Council meeting, and she expects to hear the results of the Green Acres Jake’s Law Playground Grant application by July. Once funding is secured, plans can be finalized for the Oakwood Park playground project.
About the Local Recreation Improvement Grant
Local Recreation Improvement Grant is a competitive grant that supports improvement and repair of public recreation facilities including local parks, municipal recreation centers, and local stadiums. LRIG provides each grant recipient funding to help cover costs associated with updating community centers, playgrounds, pools, fields, walking or bicycle trails, rail trails, multi-sport courts and recreational facilities; project development professional services costs; equipment costs including playground and recreation facilities equipment; and environmental remediation costs required to prepare recreation sites for use.