BRIELLE — The Brielle Environmental Commission presented a plan to convert the existing path between Borrie and Woodland avenues into an eco-path, at the June 23 council meeting.
The environmental commission received an endorsement from the council to move forward with its application to Monmouth County Municipal Park Improvement Grant Program for a matching grant.
If received, the grant would be for a maximum of $105,000, with the borough matching that amount for a total of $210,000 for the project. Of the $210,000 total amount, it is currently estimated that $15,000 would be used for a construction plan and the remaining funds used for construction.
The presentation was by Kim Rowe of the Brielle Environmental Commission, along with Kim Nuccio of Melillo Bauer Carman Landscape Architecture (MBC).
Rowe said, “This paper street is two lots, one of them is an extension of Morgan Parkway, which is the east border of the park and the other one is also owned by Brielle, but is not designated as open space.”
According to Rowe, the paper street is heavily used by people from all around the borough as part of their bike routes, walking paths and children going back and forth between the park and the library.
“The vision is to increase the value of this property by really turning it into something that is a place for people to stop, get a little taste of nature. It is a whole different kind of feeling from any other park in the town. It would be more like a place where a kid might go and find a caterpillar,” said Rowe.
According to Rowe, the path would be lined with native plants, features that would attract exploration, and educational material.
The plan for the eco-path was made by MBC, which offered its services to the commission pro-bono.
“This design is a first draft. It is the possibility; it is like a vision and we know that there will have to be tweaks and maybe changes. We might have to adapt to whatever funding we get. We are aware of that and are not married to that exactly as is,” said Rowe.
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