Union County holds public hearing on three Green Acres grant applications for Unami, Wheeler and Feltville projects

Union County officials held a public hearing during a regular meeting tonight to present three grant applications the county plans to submit to the New Jersey Green Acres program: a Jake’s Law inclusive playground at Unami Park; upgrades to Wheeler Spray Park in Linden; and a stewardship project to restore the historic landscape of the deserted village at Feltville in Watchung Reservation.

The presentations were led by Commissioner Angel Granados as chair of the Union County Open Space Trust Fund and consultants from Colliers Engineering, including Kelsey Rittner, senior grant writer, and Chris Gamens, regional discipline leader for landscape architecture. Granados said the applications would “allow for significant improvements to park spaces across Union County, enhancing accessibility, recreation, and historic preservation.” The public hearing was held to meet Green Acres’ notice requirements and to solicit input before the applications are finalized and submitted by the Feb. 5 deadlines.

The Unami Park proposal seeks funding under Jake’s Law for a fully inclusive, Americans with Disabilities Act–compliant playground. The county’s application requests $1,000,000 — the maximum for county applicants under Jake’s Law — and proposes a 25% local match already accounted for in the county capital budget. Colliers’…