Essex County Is Planning 2 Big Upgrades At Park In The Oranges

ORANGE, NJ — Essex County is making some big upgrades at Monte Irvin Orange Park in Orange, officials announced Wednesday.

According to county officials, there are two main items on the list: building the park’s first-ever community center, and “modernizing” two baseball/softball fields in the park’s northern section.

Essex County officials released the following details about the two projects.

BALLFIELDS

The two ballfields are in the northern area of the park and are just beyond the location of the community center. The alignment of the fields will be changed so that one field is moved closer to Oakwood Avenue and the outfields of the two fields will overlap. The infields will be redone with a synthetic playing surface, and the outfields will remain as natural grass. New fencing, benches, covered dugouts and drainage and irrigation systems will be installed.

French and Parrello from Wall received a professional services contract for $99,000 to design the field improvements. The LandTek Group from Bay Shore, N.Y., was awarded a publicly bid contract for $2,398,360 to perform the construction work.

COMMUNITY CENTER

The community center will be located near the intersection of Central Avenue and Oakwood Avenue with the entrance being on Oakwood Avenue about 100 feet from the intersection. The building will be partially located on the footprint of the existing parking lot, which will be closed.

Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren said the location is a good fit because of its proximity to the city’s three largest senior buildings.

“Our church is right next to the park and we are excited to have another building that the community can take advantage of,” St. Matthew AME Church Pastor Melvin Wilson agreed.

The new community center will be 8,580 square feet and have a multi-purpose room that is about 5,000 square feet. There also will be a warming kitchen, space for a police substation, an office and storage space. The restrooms will be accessible from inside the building and from outdoors. If the building is not in use, access to the restrooms can be limited to just the outside.

A driveway will enable visitors to be dropped off right in front of the building and a covered entranceway will protect those entering the building from the elements. There will be a parking lot to accommodate about 50 vehicles. In back of the building will be a covered patio for outdoor seating and events. The existing parking lot entrance at the corner of Central Avenue Oakwood Avenue will be closed and replaced with enhanced landscaping.

DiCara Rubino architects from Wayne was awarded a professional services contract for $522,900 to design the building and park entrance improvements. A publicly bid contract for $9,797,723 to perform the construction work is on the Board of Commissioners’ agenda for July 17. The project is being funded with grants from the State of New Jersey and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.

“When we started our initiative to re-imagine the community centers in our parks, it always was our intention to build a facility in Monte Irvin Orange Park which never offered its visitors with a place to hold indoor programs,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“Working with Mayor Warren and the [City of Orange Township] Council, we have designed a building that will be an attractive space and meet the needs of the residents for generations to come,” he added.

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