The grants announced at the board's agenda meeting will fund playground and field upgrades, tree planting and repairs to historic buildings throughout the county. “These grants not only improve recreation and environmental sustainability, but also strengthen our shared sense of community and pride in the place we call home,” said Chairwoman Leon.
Commissioner Sergio Granados, chair of the Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund Committee, described the program as a continued investment in open space and historic preservation. “This year's funding means more than just dollars. It represents an opportunity,” Granados said, adding that the awards support safer play areas for children, greener parks and work to preserve heritage sites.
Speakers included community leaders and nonprofit administrators who described how they will use the funds. A Berkeley Heights spokesman said their application would support improvements to a playground used by a summer camp that houses “over 500 children.” Clark Township Representative Mary Angel Albanese said the township will use the funds to replace the clapboards on the 17th-century William Robinson House, upgrade two softball fields and plant 30 trees. Fanwood Mayor Colleen Marr said Fanwood will use the Kids Recreation Trust grant to improve netting around two baseball fields at La Grande Park “to ensure the safety of our spectators.”
Other announcements included plans to create new pickleball/tennis courts and lighting at a site at Pulaski and Richland streets (construction is scheduled to begin in 2026); a Plainfield mayor notes that funds would help restore trees lost in July storms; Rahway's planned replacement of a 20-year-old play structure with inclusive elements for ages 2 to 12; and preservation projects at the Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum and the Frazee Homestead restoration.
Speakers from nonprofits and historic sites described the indoor and outdoor work the grants will support. Kiera Reno of Jerusalem Lodge No. 26 thanked the board for its help in preserving the Plainfield Masonic Temple, which is listed on state and national registries. Shirley Maxwell, president of the Kenilworth Historical Society, listed several completed restorations on the Oswald J. Nitschke House and said the Preserve Union County application would support repairs to porch roofs.
The district employees thanked the funding program employees for processing the applications. Commissioner Granados thanked staff members Victoria Durbin Drake, Angelica Cedeno and Victoria Rendon for managing the trust fund programs.
These grants were not voted on at the meeting; Speakers offered project descriptions and acknowledgments while the board's agenda listed resolutions for later formal consideration during the regular meeting.
After the presentations, the meeting moved on to the rest of the agenda, which included departmental resolutions and other items. A motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Mirabella and seconded by Vice Chairman Joseph Bodek. The agenda meeting was then adjourned.