Brick Awards Contract for Mallard Point Park Reconstruction, New Breakwater

Mallard Point Park, Brick, N.J., Nov. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Brick Township has awarded a contract for the long-awaited reconstruction of Mallard Point Park, a project in the works for years that finally received state and federal permits to move forward over the summer.

The township council voted unanimously to award a contract for the park reconstruction to TC Landscape Construction Group, of Bayville, in the amount of $436,935. The council also adopted a resolution at a meeting Tuesday night to accept a grant worth up to $712,500 in previously-authorized funding for the project through the state’s Green Acres program to fund the construction.

The park, located on the Tunes Brook Branch of Kettle Creek along the aptly-named Tunes Brook Drive, is considered a “neighborhood park” that has existed for decades, however in recent years its aging equipment has fallen into disrepair and the beach along the creek has suffered from erosion. Rebuilding the park was first discussed in 2016 after a similar reconstruction project took place at Bay Harbor Park, which has a similar layout on a different branch of Kettle Creek.

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Mallard Point Park, Brick, N.J., Nov. 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The project was funded nearly five years ago, but has been bogged down in the state and federal permitting process ever since, primarily over the erosion protection that is built in to the project. The project secured permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection some time ago, however approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers came more recently. A small glitch in a previous bid solicitation delayed the project about one more month, however pre-construction meetings will now be able to commence since a bid has been awarded.

The park reconstruction project will add areas for fishing, kayaking and crabbing, as well as a “tot lot” play area for small children. A deteriorating dock that is present on the property will be removed, and a new rip-rap breakwater and engineered shoreline will be added in a similar layout to Bay Harbor Park. The restoration design will support plant and marine life, officials said. Also included in the bid specification for the project are improvements to concrete walkways for better accessibility and durability, fencing installation for safety and perimeter definition, landscaping enhancements to improve aesthetics and functionality, and the installation of a concrete base that will ensure the playground equipment is safely anchored under the surface. There are also drainage improvements, grading and utility adjustments planned.

Bay Harbor Park, Brick, N.J. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The improvement project planned for Mallard Point is based, to a certain extent, on a plan officials carried out at Bay Harbor Park – also on a branch of Kettle Creek – in 2015. The plan involved installing new vinyl bulkheading, replenishing the beach and installing 300 cubic yards of stone breakwater that resembles two jetties. The breakwater protects the park in storms and prevents wave action from impacting the sand and eroding the berm.