Berkeley Island County Park Showing Its Age, Freeholder Says

Berkeley Island County Park may be in need of an upgrade, Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. says.

The 25-acre park, which juts out into Barnegat Bay, is still "perfectly serviceable," he said.

But time and tides have taken their toll in some sections of the park, located off Brennan Concourse in the Bayville section of the township, said Bartlett,

"The park was built 30 years ago," he said. "It's right out there in the bay and it takes a hell of a beating in the winter."

Berkeley Island County Park has bayside bathing beaches, a 100-foot fishing and crabbing pier, a picnic area with a covered pavilion and grills and public restrooms.

"It was the first I did as a freeholder," said Bartlett, who has served as liaison to the county Parks and Recreation department for the past three decades. "Now it's in need of some loving care. This will provide the money to hire the engineer."

Park employees are concerned about erosion along Cedar Creek on the south side of the park, Bartlett said.

"The shoreline is eroding up to the parking lot," he said.

The bulkheads - made of prefabricated concrete slabs set on an angle - also need to be evaluated, Bartlett said.

Also in need of review are the public restrooms and the covered pavilion in the picnic area, he said.

The engineering costs to evaluate possible improvements at Berkeley Island are part of a $2.3 million ordinance the Board of Freeholders introduced recently to spend on a variety of county projects. A public hearing on the ordinance is slated for 4 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the county Administration Building on Hooper Avenue.