For Immediate Release:
June 27, 2012
Peter Sensi Park
County to resume work on
Allentown recreational area
County, borough engineers agree to contractor’s restoration plan
ALLENTOWN, NJ – Work at Peter Sensi Park will resume now that the Borough Council has approved the contractor’s restoration plan. Borough officials approved the plan on June 20.
“We are just as concerned as borough residents with the condition of the park area following the construction of the new bridge and dam at Doctor’s Creek,” Freeholder Director John P. Curley said. “I am glad the county and borough engineers have come up with a plan that is acceptable to everyone.”
Curley, Freeholder Deputy Director Thomas A. Arnone and staff from the Department of Public Works and Engineering visited the borough Tuesday to explain to residents and the Borough Council what the county will be doing with regard to the park improvements. They also addressed other lingering issues related to the recent bridge replacement project.
Park plans include resurfacing the parking area, improving an ADA accessible route to the fishing pier, and installing landscaping, decorative railing on the fishing pier, brick pavers, new park benches, picnic tables and trash receptacles. Sufficient work should be completed to open the park within three to four weeks. However, some items such as the landscaping will be postponed until early fall when the weather will be more favorable for planting.
The park was closed in February 2010 to facilitate the installation of a temporary bypass road in order to maintain vehicular and pedestrian traffic to the downtown and schools. The construction of this temporary bypass alleviated the need for an almost 9-mile detour for the duration of the project.
The county and the borough developed a concept plan for the proposed park enhancements to mitigate the loss of the public’s use of the park. Plans and specifications for the mitigation measures were included in the original bid documents. The cost of those mitigation measures was included in the original contract amount of $6.2 million.
The June 20 approval of the contractor-prepared Peter Sensi Park restoration plan concludes the ongoing borough and county efforts to resolve details of the park restoration consistent with the original contract documents.
“We are confident that once the work to enhance Peter Sensi Park is complete borough residents will be happy with the results,” Arnone said. “It will be terrific to once again use this beautiful park and have access to the Mill Pond.”
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