The Mercer County Park Commission’s purchase of a small plot of land on Hughes Drive in Hamilton in 2017 opened up a global of opportunities for the fee and—via extension—county residents.
The fee has commenced planning and researching potential park enhancements to a 370-acre parcel called Dam Site 21. The park occupies the land where Hamilton, Robbinsville, and West Windsor borders meet, south of Mercer County Park.
As part of that planning technique, the commission is seeking input from county residents to design a passive recreation park with a focal point on using a large lake for water sports. According to a park commission launch, the price range for this restoration procedure is derived from the Open Space Preservation Trust Fund.
Dam Site 21 was planned in the early 1960s as part of the Assunpink Creek Watershed Water Works Plan, the county’s method to reduce flood harm and expand water sources inside the Assunpink Watershed. The land of Dam Site 21 became available in the 1970s, and the dam was constructed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service. Since then, the land has been held and used for everlasting exercise and conservation of water resources.
The lake in Dam Site 21 is around fifty-five acres, and the nearby region incorporates undeveloped uplands, wetlands, woodlands, and open fields. A portion of the Capital to Coast Trail runs along the northern facet of the lake from Line Road in Robbinsville to Old Trenton Road in West Windsor.
While the public uses the place for fishing and hiking activities, there is currently confined entry to and services — the buy of four. Five acres of land fronting Hughes Drive were created for the primary time, directly getting the right to enter the site from a first-rate roadway.
Around a year ago, the park commission commenced considering revisions to the web page to contain new ideas. As a primary step, the county released a request for qualifications from landscape architects and engineering companies. After reviewing programs and interviews from thirteen submissions, the county selected Simone Collins Landscape Architecture, a “somewhat nearby company with deep experience in park planning projects like this one,” the superintendent of parks, Anthony Cucchi, stated.
The county also employed Princeton Hydro, an environmental solutions firm, to read the park by analyzing typhoon climate readiness, water quality, and elements associated with the lake to identify possibilities for recovery. The firm may also delineate wetlands to determine where trails are feasible and carry out a topographical survey to understand where unique services should be located.
“The parking fee and county are excited to partake in a making plans technique to revise the website online and remember other methods that can be utilized beyond flood management,” Cucchi stated.
One problem in constructing this park is the citizens’ property adjoining Dam Site 21. Since nearby residents have informally utilized this land for many years, the formalization and preservation procedure might also motivate adjustments for people who live nearby. Precisely, the county and smaller firms may be accomplishing a boundary survey to determine where Dam Site 21 ends and private property starts offevolved.
While Cucchi highlighted the blessings of getting a park built close by, he acknowledged this subject.
“The community has to have a voice inside the system,” he stated. “We see this as a superb opportunity, but it is now not simplest for the greater Mercer County region; however, the specific residents close by.”
Toward this goal, the parking fee is seeking community input through four avenues. One is requesting advisory committees, such as representatives from municipalities and institutional landowners like Mercer County Community College, to weigh in on how park renovations should affect nearby communities.
The 2nd is attention institution interviews, which turned into hung on February 19 on the Boathouse at Mercer Lake. Again, residents and community businesses are invited to contribute to the renovations. The fee also intends to preserve one-on-one interviews with specialists and professionals on subjects referring to the web page and public conferences. The first one is scheduled for six:30 p.m. on March 7 at the Mercer County Community College convention center. Also, until October 1, citizens can voice their opinions of the mission on an online survey.
These varying degrees of input might be accrued and compared with the studies executed using the smaller firms to decide what measures are feasible and how the park can offer unique amenities compared to the nearby Mercer County Park. This entry system is part of the larger grasp plan phase, and it will be supplied to the park commissioners in October for feedback and approval.
Actual creation at the park will probably not be after 2019, but Cucchi emphasized the significance of having an extended but more tarent technique. “In the lengthy run, we’ll provide you with a much better product if we are searching for that civic engagement and public entry,” he stated. “As far as excitement, we’re simply excited to listen to people’s thoughts and thoughts.”
