The 150-acre park is located in the Union Centre on both the east and west sides of Beckett Road at the foot of Beckett Ridge.
Township staff worked with MSP Design to create a preliminary design for the park. The price tag came in between $2.7 million and $3 million depending on amenities integrated into the final plan.
“The park has been designed to have more of a natural feel,” said Lisa Brown, township administrator.
Most of the amenities are placed together in a centralized area near the newly opened splash pad, with trees and walking paths surrounding it and the fishing pond, where an additional dock is planned.
The design calls for eight new pickleball courts, two playgrounds – one for younger children, the other for older – ones, a dog park with separate spaces for large and small dogs, an additional fishing dock, expanded restrooms and parking, fencing to deter access to open water, more shade structures with seating, walkways, and connecting trails.
“It is necessary. I think this upgrade is very appropriate,’’ said Trustee Lee Wong, who has been pushing for additional pickleball courts in the township.
“National research does show that pickleball is very popular to all segments of the population,’’ said Lisa Brown, township administrator.
She said it was most popular activity in the township, with golf a close second.
“This is a plan that really is expandable over time,’’ Brown said, noting the lifespan of the improvements are 20-30 years.
Once the improvements are made, Brown said she anticipated the need for an additional 2-3 seasonal employees who would work summers.
At the direction of trustees Brown said she would move forward on final engineering and design plans, bringing two or three different plans to trustees for their final approval.
The timeline is to have the work done by summer 2026.
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