Historic village celebrates new Crandall Play Area
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - It may be in an old part of town, but the Crandall Play Area is as good as new.

The newly revitalized pocket park, whose former playground equipment was removed due to safety standards, was dedicated in a ceremony Sunday afternoon. The park is located on a quarter-acre lot near the corner of Kossman Street and Rutgers Road in the Historic Village of Old Bridge.

The play area now features equipment suited for children up to 9 years old, according to Betty Galganski, president of the Historic Village of Old Bridge Community Group Inc., which sponsored Sunday's ceremony along with the Old Bridge Baptist Church.

The improved play area includes what Galganski described as a tower with three sliding boards, staircases and climbing walls. The surrounding ground is approved for accidental falls. In addition, the Crandall Play Area now includes sidewalks, benches, trees, a bicycle stand and a small parking area.

The playground improvements cost in excess of $90,000 and were funded with money from a federal Community Development Block Grant, as well as the township and a developer. The Crandall Play Area is part of the township's park system.

Galganski said the park was renamed from the Crandall Tot Lot because the new equipment is suitable for older children, as opposed to just toddlers.

Sunday's dedication drew about 100 people, Galganski said, and not surprisingly a number of the visitors were children. While they made good use of the new equipment, it was not the first time it was used.

"The kids enjoyed it even through March and April," Galganski said.

The playground is adjacent to the former property of the old Crandall School, one of the original school houses in East Brunswick. That area is being redeveloped with condominiums, with construction work is well under way. The developer building the units contributed $30,000 for the park improvements, as township officials felt that the new housing units will bring in children who will use the equipment.

"This is the only thing in the historic district just for kids," Galganski said of the play area. "It's a well-used little park."

The historic district is also home to a pocket park for adults, which Galganski described as a "quiet place for older people to go to appreciate the outdoors."

Those who attended Sunday's dedication were also provided with copies of the newly revised Historic Village of Old Bridge walking tour booklet. It includes information on homes and locations in the village that were important during the economic and cultural development period of East Brunswick.