For many, the City of Wildwood is a summer resort boasting wide, clean, free beaches (one of the few remaining in New Jersey), a busy Boardwalk filled with food, games and amusement piers, and a population of about 270,000 people on any given summer night.
But when the days get shorter and cooler, the trees begin to shed their leaves and the summer visitors go back to their homes, Wildwood returns to its “normal” self – a small, quiet town of just over 5,200 year-round residents who themselves need recreational opportunities when the seasonal attractions go into hibernation.
One way that the City helps to meet that need for its residents is through creating and maintaining local parks. And one of the most-used parks in the City is Fox Park, located just across the street from the Convention Center.
Featuring a tot-lot, tennis courts, a softball field, exercise stations, and a bandshell, Fox Park has long been a gathering place for families seeking fun, individuals looking to exercise, teams looking to compete, and concertgoers looking for some great music.
Wanting to make a number of improvements to the park for the benefit of residents and visitors alike, the City of Wildwood turned to Triad Associates to write a successful application to the state’s Green Acres program for funding to refurbish the tot-lot and tennis courts, create a basketball court and install new fencing.
The Green Acres application also secured funding to reconfigure, landscape and properly light what is known as Memory Lane – an important memorial at the Atlantic Avenue entrance to the park which honors the legacies of those Wildwood residents who sacrificed their lives during World Wars I and II – all with the support of several local veterans’ organizations.
With work at Fox Park having been recently completed thanks to $550,000 in Green Acres funding, this treasured community facility is now offering a wide range of active and passive recreational opportunities for a new generation of Wildwood residents and visitors.