Fanwood's Two Main Parks May Soon Receive Recreational Boost

Refurbished tennis courts and an open air-pavilion were just a couple of the items Fanwood Recreation Commission Director Bob Budiansky proposed to include in the borough's application for the 2010 Union County Kids Recreation Grant. He presented the projects at the Fanwood Borough Council's agenda meeting Tuesday night.

"I went piece by piece," Budiansky said in a phone interview the day after the meeting. "The council was favorable to every part."

The grant application, which Budianksy discussed with five of the six council members present, will be voted on for final approval at a Union County review meeting on July 12. It mostly centered on improving Fanwood's two parks: LaGrande and Forest Road.

A $50,000 open-air pavilion and $50,000 refurbished basketball courts were the two largest requests made in LaGrande Park. A $50,000 request was also made for the Forest Road basketball courts, which are "a safety issue" due to older poles, according to Budiansky.

Of the pavilion, "It would be tremendous to have a place for the kids to sit" during the borough's summer camp, Budiansky said. He added that the pavilion could also provide a revenue stream if the borough chose to charge people for the pavilion's use.

"I think this is one of our best ideas," council member Mike Szuch said during the meeting. 

Of the basketball courts, Budiansky said that "the paint is peeling, the backboards are rusting. We'd like to make it look like a nice facility for people to use."

"It's a safety issue, as well," added councilmember Katherine Mitchell. 

The polished basketball courts at Cramer and Jerseyland Parks in Scotch Plains served as a model for the courts Budiansky proposed to refurbish in Fanwood. "These are what I hope we could look like someday," Budiansky said.

An additional $21,000 was proposed for filling cracks in the Forest Road Park tennis courts, which "are pretty severe," he said. The figure was increased from $19,000 last year to account for the likely growth in the cracks. A complete resurfacing of the courts is being put on hold, as it would cost $75,000 to $80,000.

Budiansky also proposed a smaller request of $1,580 for Fanwood's summer camp. Previously the figure was more than $2,000, according to Budiansky, but it was reduced amid budget cuts. Still, enrollment in the camp program this year sold out with almost 70 children, he said, whereas in the past it only attracted 15-20.

Another $1,464 was allocated for soccer, basketball and T-ball equipment for the Intensive Therapeutics, a locally based non-profit that provides therapy and recreation to children with autism.

The council also discussed the borough  becoming part of a joint grant that includes Scotch Plains, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education, and five sports organizations. Through the grant, the sports organizations could submit their own proposals – such as requests for more sports equipment – through the municipality, eliminating registration fees.

While the council was favorable to the requests, none of the proposed projects are set in stone yet. For those approved, the county will provide 50 percent of the money, and the municipality will provide 50 percent.

"We don't know what we'll get," Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr said at the agenda meeting Tuesday. "This is our wish list."