Husky Brook Park plan is unveiled 19-acre tract adds to borough's open space areas BY LAYLI WHYTE Staff Writer EATONTOWN - A conceptual plan for a park proposed for the site of the Stella and Capilupi tracts was presented at last week's Borough Council meeting. Borough Engineer Robert Stetz presented the plan for phase one of Husky Brook Park on behalf of the 13-member ad hoc committee at the council's March 7 workshop meeting, and said the committee envisioned the 19-acre parcel near the intersection of Route 36 and Grant Avenue as passive recreation space. The committee was composed of members of the public, including the recently appointed Councilwoman Kristine Fisher, and professionals like Stetz. The property, which the borough hopes to fund with grant monies, consists of the former Stella Farm property, which spans east and west of Grant Avenue, as well as the Capilupi property to the west of the Stella property. Mayor Gerald Tarantolo said that all 19 acres were purchased by the borough for $2.1 million and paid for in half of that amount with a grant from the Green Acres program. "The committee is looking toward making this a somewhat passive park," said Stetz, "that would be developed for general use by all age groups, all families throughout the borough." Stetz said the committee would want the borough to create a walking/jogging trail through the park, beginning at an existing small park on Nottingham Drive. "The borough is already planning on creating a series of trails that would hook up all of the green, open areas in the borough," he said. Tarantolo said that the plan to connect each of the borough's open space parks to one another came as the result of its downtown redevelopment plan, and that this idea was presented to the ad hoc committee in October when it was commissioned to develop a phase one plan for the space. The concept plan would also include a gravel parking lot with space for 96 cars, a fenced-in playground area and restrooms added to an existing building on the former Stella Farm property, which was purchased by the borough in October 2006. "The committee would also like to see a pavilion," Stetz said. "The one on the plan is about 40 feet by 80 feet, but the committee thinks that perhaps they would like to see it larger. This pavilion could be iced over and used for ice-skating in the winter time." The proposed park would span across Grant Avenue, and Stetz said that the committee proposed raised crosswalks to help make crossing the street safer for pedestrians. Stetz approximated the cost of the phase one plan to be about $620,000, adding that if the pavilion size is increased, the cost would also increase. Councilman Theodore Lewis said that the estimate of the pavilion costing $25 per square foot was unreasonable. "Twenty five dollars a square foot wouldn't get you a deck on the back of your house," he said. "It will cost more." Tarantolo said that even if the cost for the entire phase one project is closer to $700,000 or $750,000, there is grant money available that the borough should consider. "There is the possibility of applying for Monmouth County funds," he said, "which would require matching funds from the borough. We also have $600,000 in our own open space fund." Tarantolo said that the money in the borough's open space fund would adequately cover any expenditure needed to match a county, or other grant. "This phase one plan," he said, "wouldn't impact our debt at all that way." Tarantolo said that to qualify for county funding, the borough would have to provide a 50 percent match. Stetz said that the county generally restricts the amount it grants for these types of projects to $250,000, but that he believes the borough would have a good chance of getting that much funding for this project. Tarantolo said that he believes it would be possible to apply for more than one grant program to fund the project, and that it would be a smart move on the borough's part to explore every grant opportunity for this project. With the addition of the 19 acres, the borough now has more than 300 acres of open space, which makes up about 6 percent of property in the borough. "Most towns have between two and three percent as open space," said Tarantolo. "I'm very proud of the way the phase one plan came out. I think it's a good vision for the borough." Tarantolo said that with the Husky Brook Park open space, each of the four quadrants of the borough, defined by Routes 35 and 36, will have open space available to residents without having to cross a major highway.