Revised drawings awaited for rec center expansion
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - A revised plan for the development of the Herbert-Dreyer tract at the Manalapan Recreation Center, Route 522, is expected to be submitted to the Township Committee in the near future.

The revisions to be drawn up by township engineer Greg Valesi were recently approved by the governing body. Three proposed soccer fields will be removed from the first phase of a two-phase development plan.

The expansion project may still be done in two phases, although municipal officials have not decided the full scope of phase two.

The original cost of both phases was estimated at $15 million.

Valesi said the original cost of phase one was $10 million. That has now been revised to $3 million.

Phase one is expected to include four baseball fields (two Little League fields and two full-size fields); a practice field next to the existing Pop Warner youth football field; three new basketball courts added in the vicinity of the existing basketball courts; two handball courts added in the vicinity of the existing tennis courts; a 10,000-square-foot skate park; a potential splash pad (water play area); and a bicycle and fitness trail to join the existing Manalapan Recreation Center.

The original plan was changed due to the fact that the three proposed soccer fields were to have been built in phase one and reconstructed in phase two, thereby raising the costs for the entire project.

Committeeman Anthony Gennaro said he wanted to see "project hierarchy" for the recreation center expansion addressed in the new municipal budget.

Deputy Mayor Michelle Roth said she attended a meeting of the Recreation Advisory Board and the members of that panel suggested that municipal officials consider the possibility of providing concession stands at the recreation center.

Regarding the proposed splash pad, Recreation Advisory Board Chairman Michael Gross said the inclusion of a water play area might help boost the participation for Manalapan's summer recreation program.

According to Gross, that program saw a decline in participation from 1,046 children in 2005 to 869 children in 2006.

Gross said Freehold Township has a splash pad at its largest municipal park which has proved to be a hit with residents. He said he believes a splash pad would attract children who do not play sports.

Mayor Andrew Lucas said the inclusion of a splash pad could be a consideration for phase two of the expansion of the Dreyer-Herbert tract into the existing township recreation complex.

The Manalapan Recreation Center is on Route 522, directly across from the municipal complex. It was developed on the former Dreyer farm.

The smaller Dreyer and Herbert parcels are directly on Route 522.

Municipal officials are still trying to purchase an additional parcel of land known as the Tillis property, which lies along Route 522 between the English-town border and the Herbert-Dreyer tract.

In order to acquire the Tillis property, Lucas said township officials would have to negotiate a purchase price with the Providence Corp., which owns the 48-acre property.

The Providence Corp. has ongoing litigation with Manalapan due to the fact that several years ago township officials changed the zoning on the Tillis par-cel which reduced the number of homes that could be built on the property.

In other business at the committee's Feb. 28 meeting, Lucas announced that Thompson Grove Park on Thompson Grove Road in the southern end of Man-alapan is no longer a viable consideration for the development of an off-leash dog park.

Lucas said after the meeting that officials will be looking to proceed with plans to use the 5-acre Village Green on Route 522 near Tennent Road for the development of a dog park.