From the top of the great stairs at 40th Street, Stephen Gregg County Park somewhat resembles the Gardens of Versailles, with the sweeping lawn and carefully sculpted shrubbery stretching from the stair bottom to the columned bathroom facilities at the inlet’s watery edge.
Constructed in the early 20th century, the lawn design and ornate structures framing it give visitors a sense of serenity missing from many other places in the urban landscape of Hudson County.
Even the random bicyclists peddling their way along the paths below might have come from that time just after the park’s grand opening. The illusion lifts only after walking a few yards along the lawn, at which point the basketball courts appear to one side and the running track on the other.
At the very top of the stairs, framed by two eloquent arched stone buildings, stands the flagpole which – to Freeholder Barry Dugan and others seeking to complete the restorations at this historic setting – has come to symbolize the park’s revival.
In a move that will put in place one more piece in a series of key repairs at the park, the Hudson County Freeholders awarded a $266,000 contract at their Aug. 19 meeting to finish up work in the flagpole area. The base of the pole had been troublesome for several years as the concrete cracked and turned to dust, Dugan said. It was something he felt needed to be rebuilt now that many of the other areas in the park have been rebuilt. Over the last year, many of the systems in the area have been completed as part of an overall restoration project. “Yet, this one part still needed to be fixed up,” Dugan said.
But in fixing up this piece, Dugan wanted something special done with the flagpole’s base.
Dugan said one proposal would have covered the ground with asphalt, but after consulting with the local historic preservation commission, County Engineer Bob Jasek and County Parks Commissioner Tom McCann decided to restore the area in a way that would correspond to other historic elements in the park.
Last month, the freeholders authorized the upgrade of a nearby toilet facility to maintain the early 20th century design.
“Why couldn’t we do something similar for the flagpole area?” Dugan asked.
The new seal for the area would be made of a stamped concrete that would provide shaded coloring, designed by Helena Ruman Architects.
“This was designed to match what it looked like before the work started in the area,” he said.
Dugan said the whole project was the result of serious runoff problems around the flagpole that included deteriorating concrete in the ponds.
“This was undermining the concrete structure,” he said. “We not only had to address repairing the concrete, but also the underlying drainage system.”
Dugan said stagnant water due to a faulty filtration system had been a concern for years, and the county had employed a variety of techniques for dealing with it.
“At one time we even tried using chlorine,” he said.
Tear it up
But the overall project required tearing up the old concrete in the pools and installing a new hydraulic system that would keep water circulating. The area also needed electrical work. County personnel are being trained to use the new equipment that will keep the water – some of which is runoff from rain – circulating.
With most of that work complete, the flagpole and the restroom areas remained the last pieces in the fix-up puzzle for that section of the park. The area will be unveiled shortly including a new bandstand.
The area around the ponds has already seen landscaping work. Other work for the park, of course, still needs to be addressed, and the county has been seeking funds to provide for waterside stabilization along Newark Bay, where sections of the pedestrian walkway have collapsed. The boathouse also needs work. This includes a new roof and heating system. County officials have already held pre-construction meetings for the boathouse project, Dugan said.