Articles Open space and environment
Bridgewater's Parks and Open Space, Explained: Court Projects, Camp Cromwell and the Block 519 Purchase
The 2026 park projects and how they are paid for (state grants, the Open Space Fund, bonds and recreation trust funds), the proposed purchase of Block 519, Lot 28, the Open Space Advisory Committee, recreation programs, and the contracts that keep township buildings running.
The short version
- Alfred E. Brown Park: a grant application for up to $75,000, matched by $75,000 from the Open Space Fund, to renovate the tennis courts (Feb. 5, 2026, 5-0).
- Philip and David Miller Park: basketball courts, up to $133,505.50 to Pave-Rite, Inc. (July 9, 2026, 5-0).
- Camp Cromwell: funded by a 2025 bond ordinance; a bid was expected in early September.
- Block 519, Lot 28: an ordinance to buy about 24,785 square feet for $65,600, announced as introduced Oct. 15, 2026. Adoption is pending.
How park work is paid for
| Source | 2026 example |
|---|---|
| State grants | DCA Local Recreation Improvement Grant application for Alfred E. Brown Park. Administrator Michael Pappas said it would be the township’s third such park grant, after Kids Street Park and Miller Park |
| Open Space Fund | The $75,000 local match for Alfred E. Brown Park |
| Bond ordinances | Ordinance #25-14 (2025), improvements to Camp Cromwell |
| Recreation trust funds (registration fees) | Soccer Centers, up to $154,250.00 for turf fields, referees and trainers, “resulting in no operating cost to Bridgewater Township” (Jan. 22, 3-0); tennis and pickleball instruction, up to $60,000.00, “at no expense to the Township” (March 5, 5-0) |
The park projects
Alfred E. Brown Park (Bradley Gardens). Council President Joan Geiger said the project repairs and renovates the tennis courts. The vote on Feb. 5 to apply for the grant was 5-0. Whether the state awarded it is not in the record LocalWhy has reviewed.
Philip and David Miller Park (Hobbstown). Mayor Matthew C. Moench said on July 9 that the basketball courts would be renovated, with improvements to parking, lighting, drainage and overall site conditions, and that work would begin as soon as approvals are complete. Resident Eric Murdock thanked the township for the project. The Pave-Rite award passed 5-0.
Camp Cromwell. On Aug. 6 resident Cathy Franco asked for an update. Administrator Pappas said the Chief Financial Officer and Township Engineer were working through the process to access the funds, and that a bid document was “expected to be issued within approximately 30 days,” using “the bond ordinance approved at the end of the previous year.” Whether the bid was issued by Oct. 31 is not in the record LocalWhy has reviewed. Ordinance #25-14, adopted Aug. 21, 2025, appropriates $975,000 for improvements at Camp Cromwell, with $926,250 in bonds or notes.
Other park items raised in 2026: Marlaina Mykytok asked for defibrillators (AEDs) at parks; Councilman Timothy Ring said storage is limited by temperature requirements (Feb. 5). Megan Dowden (807 Porter Way West) reported divots and broken, rusted fencing at the Chimney Rock baseball fields, and Council President Geiger said it would be added to the Public Works list (Sept. 3).
The Block 519, Lot 28 purchase
| Date | Record |
|---|---|
| Aug. 20, 2026 | Closed session on “contract negotiations - Block 517, Lots 16 and 17, and Block 519, Lot 28” |
| Oct. 1, 2026 | Closed session on “property acquisition and litigation” (no parcel named) |
| Oct. 15, 2026 | Ordinance item 26-10-15-220 on the agenda: acquisition of “approximately 24,785 square feet from Darrow B. and Eric Murdock as seller(s) for the purchase price of $65,600” (title as listed). A township notice dated Oct. 16 announces the introduction of Ordinance #26-20, acquisition of land, Block 519 Lot 28 |
The full title in the township’s introducing resolution, #26-10-15-220, ends “for the purchase price of $65,600.00 from the Township’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.” The resolution records the introduction 5-0 (Bucko, Isla, Kirsh, Ring, Geiger aye) and sets the public hearing and final action for Nov. 5, 2026. The purpose of the purchase is not stated, and LocalWhy has not yet reviewed the ordinance text. A land-acquisition ordinance needs a public hearing and a second vote before it takes effect. Nothing in the record LocalWhy has reviewed shows Council action on Block 517, Lots 16 and 17.
Open space and the boards
On March 19 the Council appointed Andrew Bucko (Class 2A), Michael Kirsh (Class 2A alternate), Allen Kurdyla (Class 2B) and Hursith (Harry) Adimulam (Class 2B) to the Open Space Advisory Committee, 5-0. On April 9 Council President Geiger reported five openings and six applicants for the Park Board and five openings and three applicants for the Recreation Board, and said the Mayor had suggested a possible future consolidation of the two boards “due to overlapping responsibilities.” No farmland preservation action appears in the 2026 Council minutes. The Planning Board’s Dec. 16, 2025 agenda lists a master plan hearing on an Open Space & Recreation Element prepared by CME Associates, with a memorializing resolution; LocalWhy has not yet reviewed that meeting’s minutes.
Recreation programs
On Sept. 3 Superintendent of Recreation Rachel Barrett presented the Recreation Division’s programs, including Bridgewater United Soccer Club, “a Township-run, self-sustaining soccer program,” with “at least 73 in-town teams and 19 travel teams” for fall 2026.
Public buildings
| Date | Contract | Amount | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 19, 2026 | Air Systems Maintenance, HVAC maintenance plus emergency repairs, March 2026–February 2027 | Up to $51,310.00 | 5-0 |
| June 25, 2026 | Air Systems Maintenance, additional emergency repairs | +$80,000.00, “total contract amount not to exceed $100,000.00” | 5-0 |
| Aug. 6, 2026 | AAA Facility Solutions, janitorial, second-year renewal | Up to $129,600.00 | Consent, 4-0 (Isla absent) |
The township also owns the Voorhees House on Milltown Road. On Feb. 5 Administrator Pappas said county grant-funded renovations were done around 2019–2020 and some grant funds remain.
What is not known
- Whether the Alfred E. Brown Park grant was awarded, and when the courts will be rebuilt.
- Camp Cromwell’s budget, scope and bid status.
- The purpose of the Block 519, Lot 28 purchase.
What residents can do
- Speak at the hearing on Ordinance #26-20 (Nov. 5, 2026), and in public comment at any Council meeting.
- Report park repairs to Public Works or the Office of Constituent Relations.