HOWELL – Within the last year, township residents may have noticed changes to their local parks – whether that be upgraded equipment or the development of new facilities entirely – and now with additional funding, those improvements will continue.
Township management actively evaluates parks for potential, and created these projects for the betterment and enjoyment of the community. Recently, there have been changes to four different Howell parks, including Deerwood Park, Ramtown Manor Park, Oak Glen Park and Country Meadows Pavilion.
These changes included both rehabilitation and extensions of their current equipment. One of the most popular changes was the inclusion of pickleball courts – which applies to both Deerwood Park and Oak Glen Park. Both of these parks have pickleball courts either completed or under construction for the public’s use.
“We have noticed that pickleball is extremely popular and above all else, we want the township’s parks to be used,” said Matthew Howard, Howell’s director of community development. “Therefore, a commitment and investment in pickleball was an easy choice for the governing body.”
Deerwood Park’s pickleball courts have been available for use for about a year, and Howard suspects Oak Glen Park’s courts should be completed when the weather improves.
Among the popularity of pickleball, township management also took the popularity of basketball into consideration when investing in improvements. Along with the pickleball courts, Deerwood and Oakwood Parks were also expanded with newer basketball courts, as was Ramtown Manor.
The Preventorium Road side of Oak Glen Park has new pickleball courts that are under construction and will be completed in the spring. (Photo by Liz Ciocher)
Deerwood Park’s new basketball court was previously a hockey rink. Ramtown Manor did previously maintain basketball courts, but the township deemed them outdated. The project resulted in the development of new courts, completed at the same time as Deerwood Park’s courts, which cost roughly $400,000, according to Howard. The project was completed last year.
“Just driving through the neighborhoods and seeing all of the basketball hoops that people have in their driveways also showed us that basketball courts would be well received and well used. We are constantly keeping an eye on the condition of our parks and the equipment,” he added.
Along with the new courts, Deerwood Park and Oak Glen Park also received some refurbishment to their facilities. A hockey rink was refurbished in Deerwood, as well as pathways being refurbished with asphalt.
Existing basketball courts were refurbished in Oak Glen, and there were also refurbishing projects at the Country Meadows Pavilion. Here, the decking and pavilion was rehabilitated.
The refurbishment of this hockey rink is just one of many improvements made at Deerwood Park. (Photo by Liz Ciocher)
As a whole, Oak Glen Park’s developments and improvements cost about $280,000. The improvements to the Pavilion were about $20,000, making the total cost for all park improvements over the last year about $700,000.
According to Howard, the developments that have been available for public use, such as the pavilion and Deerwood Park, have been very positively received by residents of Howell. This includes for aesthetic purposes as well as purposes of recreational use.
Along with these upgrades, township management is waiting upon higher approval to begin projects that will improve various playgrounds, including Pride Park, which is located on Vanderveer Road and Seton Hall Drive. The township has applied for grants to provide the funds for these projects.
“We are constantly keeping an eye on the condition of our parks and the equipment. As some equipment reaches end of life, the governing body is committed to replacing and enhancing where appropriate,” Howard said. “[They] feel very strongly about improving and maintaining our open space and parks, so the administration works steadily to do just that.”
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