By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – A contract has been awarded for a municipal project that was conceptualized by young adults in Freehold Borough.
On May 22, the Borough Council passed a resolution awarding a $304,950 contract to Down to Earth Landscaping for improvements to Veterans Park, Schanck Street.
As stated in the resolution, the concept for the park project came from the Freehold Borough Youth Government Council, which offers students in seventh through 12th grade a chance to learn about all levels of government and to participate at the local level.
The teenagers who participate “learn public speaking, how to get their point across and how to articulate. They bring solutions to problems and bond with each other through teamwork,” said Councilman Jaye Sims, who proposed the youth organization about five years ago.
The improvements to Veterans Park will be the Youth Government Council’s first project.
“We found interest from all the members of the Youth Government Council that there was a need for recreation,” Sims said. “There were not enough activities in the community.”
The planned improvements include playground equipment, an activity trail, upgraded lighting and making the park more user-friendly, he said.
According to Sims, the Veterans Park project began to take shape five years ago. As previously reported, the Borough Council pursued a Monmouth County open space grant and received $135,000 in 2013. The remaining costs will be covered by funds from the borough.
While the costs of the project were accounted for, physical work did not begin immediately because municipal officials had to obtain certain approvals from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Phase one, an assessment of Veterans Park, and phase two, the design of a wetlands plan, have been accomplished.
Once the borough was ready to proceed with the project, bids for the work were sought, according to the resolution. Down to Earth Landscaping was awarded the contract as the lowest responsible bidder at $304,950.
According to the resolution, the other bidders were Abzen Design, which bid $539,792; Land Tec-Enterprises, which bid $494,772; United Terrain Group, which bid $401,495; Precise Construction, which bid 539,792; and Brunswick Builders, LLC, which bid $337,101.
“I am proud to award this bid,” Sims said to the members of the Youth Government Council who were present at the May 22 meeting of the town’s governing body.
