Celebrating the resurfacing of the lawn bowling green
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — On July 21, county and municipal officials joined Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. to celebrate that the lacrosse and soccer field and lawn bowling green in Watsessing Park were resurfaced with a new synthetic grass surface.
“The improvements to the soccer and lacrosse field and the lawn bowling green exemplify our ongoing commitment to provide the most modern recreation facilities that meet the needs of our residents,” DiVincenzo said. “Ten years ago, we created the soccer and lacrosse field to meet the growing popularity of those sports. And back in 2004, we brought lawn bowling back to Essex County by creating one of the first artificial surface greens in the region. It feels good that we are able to continue to maintain and improve upon our facilities so the public can continue to enjoy the outdoors.”
“These are both tremendous projects that will greatly benefit the community. On behalf of the freeholder board, we are proud to have partnered with the county executive on these continued enhancements,” Freeholder President Brendan Gill said.
“I want to thank the county executive for the attention he gives to the county parks that are in Bloomfield. These are both wonderful additions to Watsessing Park,” Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia said.
“The soccer and lacrosse field is so important to what we do in Glen Ridge because we have so few fields. I want to thank the county executive for making these improvements,” Glen Ridge Councilman Rich Law said.
“Like they say in the movies, ‘If you build it they will come.’ Thank you to the county executive and his staff for being so helpful and improving our facility,” said Skip Arculli, a resident of Nutley and member of the Essex County Lawn Bowling Association.
The synthetic grass playing surfaces at both the lacrosse and soccer field and lawn bowling green needed to be replaced because of regular wear and tear. The soccer and lacrosse field is located off of Bloomfield Avenue and was first opened in 2010. Located off of Glenwood Avenue, the lawn bowling green initially had its synthetic grass surface installed in 2004.
The improvements to the soccer and lacrosse field and lawn bowling green were designed in house by the Essex County Department of Public Works, which also monitored the project to ensure delays were avoided. A publicly bid contract for $808,550 was awarded to Applied Landscape Technologies from Montville to perform the construction work. The improvements were funded through the Department of Parks budget and a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. The project started in March and was completed in three months.
Photos Courtesy of Essex County
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