15 Jul ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES ESSEX COUNTY RIVERFRONT PARK RECEIVES COMPREHENSIVE FACELIFT Playground, Basketball and Tennis Courts, and Baseball Field are Modernized with New Surfaces and Equipment
Published on July 15, 2026
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced on Tuesday, July 14th that Essex County Riverfront Park in Newark received a comprehensive, $1.7 million facelift. The project included modernizing the playground, tennis and basketball courts, and baseball field. It is part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to revitalize the Essex County Parks System and provide the most up-to-date recreation facilities.
“I am so happy with the impact that Essex County Riverfront Park has had in the Ironbound community. The additional open space that we created 14 years ago has provided places for generations of children and families to play, learn teamwork, exercise and relax. In just a short time, Riverfront has become one of our most utilized parks and it was time to update the facilities because of the normal wear and tear,” DiVincenzo said.
“This park has been a wonderful addition to the Ironbound and revitalizing it through these improvements provides our residents with wonderful opportunities for recreation. We appreciate all that the County Executive has done, but what I love the most is the attention given to our parks and quality of life,” Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin said.
“The Board of Commissioners is very happy to partner with the County Executive because when we do projects like this, we know the results are going to be top notch and will benefit our residents,” Commissioner President Carlos Pomares said.
“Families in this ward are in need of open space and recreation facilities. This represents just one of the things that the County Executive has done for our residents and we appreciate his investment in our community,” Newark East Ward Councilman Michael Silva said.
“Our parks are so important to this community. We don’t have backyards, so the parks become our backyards and are where our relationships in the neighborhood are formed. It’s important to have open space and high-quality recreation areas,” said Nancy Zak of the Ironbound Community Corporation.
The improvements include installing new climbing apparatus and a rubberized safety surface at the playground, new playing surfaces, fencing and equipment on the tennis and basketball courts, and a new synthetic playing surface, fencing and benches on the baseball field. Land for Essex County Riverfront Park was acquired in 2010 and the park opened to the public in 2012. These upgrades were the first received by the park since its opening.
Mott MacDonald from Islen was awarded a professional services contract to design the improvements. Shore Top Construction from Freehold was awarded a publicly bid contract for $1,627,7900 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works monitored the project to ensure delays were avoided. The improvements were funded with a $1.5 million grant from the NJ Green Acres program and from the County’s Capital Fund.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system established in the United States. The Park System consists of more than 6,000 acres and has 24 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, Treetop Adventure Course, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, a miniature golf course, golf driving range, six off-leash dog facilities, paddle boating, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. At 11 acres, Essex County Riverfront Park is the 17th largest park in the Parks System.
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