$2.5 Million Grant Approved for Ocean City Playground's "Reimagining"

The 34th Street playground in Ocean City has served as a public recreation site for children and adults since the 1940s.

Now showing its age, “Sandcastle Park,” as the playground is known, will receive an estimated $6.5 million makeover, allowing it to continue as a recreation centerpiece in the southern end of town for many more years to come.

“This is an anchor for that area,” Mayor Jay Gillian said.

The playground’s proposed facelift received a boost Tuesday when the Cape May County Open Space Review Board tentatively approved a $2.5 million grant to help fund construction of the project.

“This is a massive, massive upgrade to what’s there now. I’m very proud of this project,” said Cape May County Commissioner Bob Barr, a member of the Open Space Review Board and resident of Ocean City.

Now that the board has tentatively approved the grant, it expects to begin accepting public comments on the playground project in about 30 days. The public comment period will last 45 days and will be followed by the board’s final approval of the grant, which is expected to happen at its Aug. 12 meeting, Barr said.

Barr noted that the $2.5 million grant is the maximum amount that the board can approve for a municipal project. The city will pay for the rest of the playground project.

The playground will receive a dramatic overhaul that city and county officials described as a “reimagining” of the entire site bordered by 34th Street and West Avenue.

“We’ll scrape the whole block and start over,” said Frank Donato, the city’s chief financial officer.

    The existing playground seen here will be replaced with a large new playground.
  

The project will include five new pickleball courts, six tennis courts, two basketball courts, a dunk tank and a large playground with a rubberized surface to protect children from injuries.

The city also will add a new multipurpose building containing restrooms, meeting rooms and socialization space. A picnic pavilion and shade structure will be another part of the project.

“We’re really excited about this park and the elements associated with it,” Vince Orlando, the city’s architect, said while showing renderings of the project to members of the Open Space Review Board.

Orlando’s firm, Engineering Design Associates in Ocean View, collaborated with Somers Point architect William McLees on the designs for the project.

Mayor Gillian expressed his desire to get the project done as fast as possible. The city plans to solicit competitive bids from construction contractors late this year. Construction would begin in early 2026, with the goal of completing the project by Memorial Day weekend.

Dan Kelchner, the city’s director of Community Services, said records held by the Ocean City Historical Museum indicate that the playground has been used as a public recreation site since 1948.

Over the years, new attractions have been added, but the playground and its related facilities are tired looking these days.

“We believe this was a recreational site in need of revitalization and reimagining,” said Peter Lomax, chairman of the Open Space Review Board.

    A rendering shows the different elements of the estimated $6.5 million makeover for the 34th Street playground and related recreation facilities. (Courtesy of Engineering Design Associates)
  

Lomax said he was thrilled with the designs and pledged to keep the project moving forward as quickly as possible, culminating with the board’s final approval of the grant.

The playground and recreation facilities will have lights to allow children and adults to use them at night. City officials indicated there will be a cutoff time, perhaps 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m., each night for the playground and recreation facilities.

There will be no loss of parking spaces on the surrounding streets for the project, city officials said.

As is the case now, the playground and related facilities will be available to all members of the public once the project is finished, city officials told the board.

Kelchner said the playground will “reach beyond” Ocean City residents and serve as a connecting point to other parts of Cape May County.

As an example of the playground’s broader use, Kelchner noted that the city will continue to work with the Special Olympics organization in South Jersey to bring events to Ocean City.

Once the playground is rebuilt, the city hopes that the new pickleball courts will serve as the site for the Special Olympics’ regional pickleball competition, Kelchner said.

    New tennis, basketball and pickleball courts are also in the plans for the 34th Street playground.