Park overhaul to include basketball court/ice rink Grants fund work at Mundy park, area near DeVoe Lake BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer SPOTSWOOD - Construction could begin this summer on $500,000 worth of improvements to Mundy Avenue Park. The improved park will have a basketball court that doubles in the winter as an ice skating rink, a small tot lot, a walking path around the park's perimeter and 13 new parking spots for easier access to the park, according to Borough Council President Curtis Stollen. Also, enhancements will be made at the intersection of Mundy and DeVoe avenues to improve safety. For example, there will be a push button yellow flashing light system to make it easier for people to cross the intersection. The improvements will be entirely funded with a $500,000 open space and recreation grant from the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Stollen, who noted that Councilman Thomas Barlow was instrumental in securing the grant money, said officials are eager to have the borough's largest park rebuilt and expanded. Stollen said the streets around the park are busy, and that the park itself is in need of improvements. There are some seesaws on the site, and some residents do use the basketball court there, but the courts need work and could be a liability concern. In addition, improvements are needed to bring the park into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Stollen noted that the park has a lot of broken up asphalt. "But it's mostly all dirt. It needs an overhaul," he said. Presently, there is no place for people to park if they want to use the area. "You usually need to park on a side street and walk over," he said. Stollen said the new basketball court will be high school regulation size and built with a berm around it so that the borough can flood the area in the winter to allow for safe ice-skating. The walking path around the perimeter will also cater to bicyclists, and would allow, for example, older children to ride around while their parents are watching younger kids in the play area. While there is no timeframe yet for the improvements, they are hoped to begin this summer and be completed by the fall, according to Borough Administrator Ron Fasanello. The grant piggybacks on another that the borough recently received from the county. That grant, for about $70,000, will be used to draw more people to the public area behind the American Legion building, where the dam is located at DeVoe Lake. The area is not heavily used, as many people may not realize that it is public property. "It seems isolated, but it is borough property, and you can go back there and enjoy it," Stollen said, noting that at present the area is overrun with brush, chunks of cement and items that have been dumped there illegally. The borough will install a walking path, likely made of cinder blocks, from the sidewalk to the back of the American Legion building near the dam. This will serve as an area for people to relax near the water. The project will likely take place this summer, according to Stollen, who noted that that an Eagle Scout is performing work on the wooden dock in that area to bring it up to code, and bringing further enhancements to the area.