Funding will provide landscaping, guide rails
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - The township is increasing the contract for work at Heavenly Farms in order to make the park a bit more heavenly.

The Township Council recently approved a change order in the amount of $81,000 for improvements at the Dunhams Corner Road park, which is home to new state-of-the-art athletic fields and a dog park, and will eventually be the site of a community arts center.

About $30,000 of the change order is to fund landscaping work on a significant portion of the access roadway leading to the turf soccer fields, Township Business Administrator James White said. The other $51,000 is for guide rails on the access road.

White said the landscaping will consist of new trees being planted to beautify the area, and the township will use money from its tree fund to cover costs of the work.

Township Attorney Michael Baker said the guide rails are required now that final grading of the road is complete, because there are some areas where the road drops off. The rails will be of a rusted color.

The change order was made necessary because it wasn't until work was complete that the township could tell what the final slope would look like in relation to the road, Baker said.

Spending on the park remains within budget, he said.

The council earlier this year included more than $3.5 million for Heavenly Farms improvements in the annual capital budget, though more than $2 million of that went toward the athletic fields. The council more recently awarded a $1.7 million contract for infrastructure work related to the proposed community arts center.

East Brunswick purchased the 147-acre Heavenly Farms in March 2004 for $12.1 million, with the state and county chipping in $10 million and the township bonding for the rest.

Officials said the acquisition was needed not only for recreation, theater and open space purposes, but also to keep the land, which is adjacent to the Middlesex County Fairgrounds on Cranbury Road, from being developed with homes.