Newark outlines playground replacement plans, $1M state grant for Jerry Raber Ash Street site
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Summary
City staff presented replacement playground designs for four parks and a redesign for Newark Community Park that emphasizes all-abilities play; staff described a $1,000,000 state legislative grant for Jerry Raber Ash Street Park and proposed bid alternates and options to preserve or relocate the park's "monster" sculpture.
City engineer Mickey Sabuda presented council members with design concepts and community feedback on playground replacement projects at Birchgrove, Jerry Raber Ash Street, Marybeth and the Newark Community Park on Feb. 11.
Sabuda said the city solicited public input through online surveys, park displays with QR codes and in-person events and received more than 200 written comments across the projects. "The vast majority of the comments were very supportive and positive and excited about these upcoming projects," Sabuda told the council.
Highlights and funding details
- Jerry Raber Ash Street Park: Sabuda said the project has a $1,000,000 state legislative grant and noted an original playground estimate of about $824,000; staff plan to include bid alternates for benches, bike racks, trail improvements, a refreshed softball infield and possibly bocce courts depending on bids.
- Birchgrove Park: Proposed "Wildwood Forest" theme with separate younger (2'5) and older (5'12) play zones, new rubberized safety surfacing replacing bark mulch, climbing features and ADA-accessible elements; outreach generated roughly 75 written comments for this site.
- Marybeth Park: A smaller site with a "futuristic" geometry theme and a fiber-class composite climbing boulder approximately 11 feet tall; staff reported about 55 written comments.
- Newark Community Park: Staff proposed an all-abilities whimsical-garden design with large play elements (a 3-story climbing tower, cozy domes, sensory tunnels and inclusive spinners), and discussed options for handling the on-site concrete "monster" sculpture: include a bid alternate for contractor removal and relocation, cut and relocate parts, digitize or preserve portions, or replace it with a new sculptural element. Sabuda said staff would include alternates to avoid delaying the project.
Council discussion focused on maintenance (rubberized surfacing lifespan estimated at 10'15 years), whether unspent park impact fees roll back to the park fund (they do), timelines (staff plan to return in spring with construction award recommendations and start construction in summer), ADA and neurodivergent-friendly features, and whether the community could fundraise to preserve aspects of the monster. Council members expressed broad support for moving projects forward while preserving options for public art and community attachments to the existing sculpture.
Next steps
Staff will solicit construction bids with bid alternates reflecting council feedback, potentially include a contractor alternate to relocate the existing sculpture, and return to council with a construction award recommendation this spring.