JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop and the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) are beginning construction on the Berry Lane Skate Park, funded in part by the Tony Hawk Foundation, and a new park pavilion. The new one-story masonry pavilion will include convenience facilities for residents such as restrooms, changing rooms, a concession area, a covered exterior terrace as well as offices for park officials. At nearly 12,000 square feet, the skate park will be the largest in Jersey City, and the first poured-in-place concrete skate park in Hudson County.
“It’s incredible to see the transformation that continues to take place at Berry Lane Park, especially considering this 17-acre property was once filled with old rail lines, junk yards and auto repair shops,” said Mayor Fulop. “With the new pavilion and skate park, Berry Lane Park will become the area’s premier park as we remain committed to invest in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood.”
Berry Lane Park consists of 17 acres of property that was once a brownfield of former rail facilities, junk yards, and auto repair shops. With the investment from this administration, the transformation of the underutilized land, located in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood, into a new park now boasts an array of recreational features including a playground, splash park, exercise stations, basketball courts, tennis courts, a baseball field, a soccer field, open space, and more.
The Tony Hawk Foundation uses a selective process to choose locations nationwide to invest in building high quality, public skate parks. Construction on the skate park and pavilion, completed by TSIVIKOS Enterprises Inc., is expected to be completed by the spring. The pavilion will provide additional design enhancements like walkways, curb extensions, benches, bike racks and the like.
“Berry Lane Park is on its way to becoming a state of the art recreational facility, so it is an exciting time to break ground on the latest phase of construction,” said Diana Jeffrey, Executive Director of the JCRA. “The City has done a tremendous job in transforming acres of brownfields into useable open space for our residents and community to enjoy.”
This phase of Berry Lane Park improvements consists of a 2,113 square foot one-story masonry pavilion and covered exterior terrace which will include restrooms, family restrooms, changing rooms, utility rooms, park administration offices and a future food concession area. Site improvements will include the installation of a colored concrete walkway, concrete curb, porous paver patio area, picnic tables and chairs, benches, bike racks, decorative lighting, seeded lawn area and decorative landscaping. The building was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.
Incorporating funding from the Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund Grant, plans for one of New Jersey's largest state-of-the-art skate parks include: a lay back bank, hipped quarter pipes, a roller, A-Frame ledge combo, split level A-Frame with gap, three-stair rail, bump to ledge, kicker gap, flat rail over gap, clam shell, quarter pipe extension, pump bump, and will feature a backyard bowl at a 6-foot maximum depth with a 3,600 square foot circumference.
Mayor Fulop joined community residents and JCRA representatives at Berry Lane Park this morning for the official groundbreaking of the pavilion and skate park.