Schoor DePalma hired to assess
Marlboro recreation facilities
Report expected to update condition,
use of township parks
BY LARRY RAMER
Staff Writer

MARLBORO — The township’s parks and recreation facilities will be the focus of a study to be conducted by a well known area firm.

Municipal officials recently hired Schoor DePalma, Manalapan, to assess the condition of Marlboro’s parks and recreation sites. The company’s inventory report, which is scheduled to be completed next month, will cost $24,500.

In a written statement, Schoor DePalma said the report will "identify and inventory the current condition of all 15 existing park and recreation facilities in the township and recommend future improvements to them."

The project will include a review of township recreation programs and park use, a list of recommended improvements and an assessment of how current trends in recreation affect existing township facilities. The Township Council approved the project last month.

"We haven’t been able to take a look at the maintenance condition of our fields in a long time," said Stephen Dick, the chairman of the recreation and parks commission. "We don’t know the condition of each facility. It’s been years since we’ve had an in-depth study done. If we don’t pay attention to what’s going on in the sites ... there could be major problems down the road, which we’re trying to avoid. It’s pay me now or pay me later."

Public Information Officer Sue Levine said Marlboro last conducted a compre­hensive review of its parks and recreation facilities in 1992.

Problems that Schoor DePalma might identify at the recreation facilities could include fences that need to be repaired, drainage deficiencies, gophers on the loose in fields, or trees that are close to falling over, Dick said, adding that the firm will propose an annual maintenance plan for the recreation facilities.

"The report will give us a game plan, which is paramount if we’re going to ad­dress the problems intelligently," the recreation chairman said.

In related news, Levine reported that munici­pal officials are planning to make im­provements to Hawkins Road Park.

Scheduled to be completed in late spring, the improvements will include new tennis courts, a picnic area and a new playground for young children, Levine said. A paved path, a pedestrian bridge and a parking area will be in­stalled. A walkway from Millay Road into the park will be built and a walkway throughout the entire park will be installed, she said.