15 Jul ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES UPGRADES COMPLETED FOR PLAYGROUND IN ESSEX COUNTY MONTE IRVIN ORANGE PARK
Published on July 15, 2026
Orange, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that the playground in Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park in Orange has been modernized with new apparatus, water features and a rubberized safety surface on Wednesday, July 15th. The first stage of the project to update the basketball court with a new playing surface already has been completed. The improvements are part of the County Executive’s ongoing initiative to revitalize the Essex County Parks System and provide the most up-to-date recreation facilities for the public’s use.
“The modernization of the Monte Irvin Orange Park playground will provide the most up to date equipment that children of all ages can enjoy and the shade structures and water features will make the playground an even more attractive recreation destination,” DiVincenzo said. “I thank the NJ Green Acres program and our Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund for allocating the grant funding so we can make these improvements,” he added.
“Orange is thankful that we have a partner in Joe D. From the Reservoir to the investments in this park and our infrastructure, Essex County has been a great friend,” said Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, who was joined by Council President Clifford Ross and Council members Kerry Coley and Adrienne Wooten.
“This is another great addition to this already beautiful park. Between the playground, basketball courts, baseball and soccer fields and community center, this is an attractive space for people of all ages,” Assemblyman Michael Venezia said.
“I was born and raised in Orange, so it feels good to be home. People always ask me what public safety looks like and this is it – seeing children playing basketball or climbing in a playground, adults taking a walk. We see these things because the County Executive cares and invests in our communities,” Sheriff Amir Jones said.
“I have been volunteering teaching chess at the Juvenile Detention Center and Correctional Facility for the last two years and I thought bringing the game to an urban playground would be a way to create a sense of community. Chess is a game that can connect people of all ages,” said Aston Roberts from Checkmate to a Better Future.
The new playground includes equipment that is designed for children in two age groups: children ages 5 years and younger and children ages 5 to 12 years. The rubberized safety surface also was replaced. Park benches for parents to sit, trash receptacles and water fountains were updated and new landscaping was planted. New to the playground are shade structures built over the playground equipment to protect children from direct sunlight and the introduction of some equipment that incorporates water features. Essex County also received a grant from Checkmate to a Better Future, spearheaded by Livingston resident Aston Roberts, to install outdoor chess boards at the playground. The old playground was opened in 2016 and needs to be replaced because of regular wear and tear.
Barreto Dowd Landscape Architects from Howell received a professional services contract for $90,000 to design the playground improvements. Picerno Giordano General Construction from Kenilworth was awarded a publicly bid contract for $2,841,603 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works monitored the project to ensure delays were avoided. The new playground was funded with a $1.4 million grant from the NJ Green Acres program and a $1.4 million grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board.
Revitalizing Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park
DiVincenzo’s administration has completed several improvement projects in Monte Irvin Orange Park as part of a comprehensive initiative to revitalize the Essex County Park System.
Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park was renamed in honor of baseball legend Monte Irvin in May 2006. Irvin was raised in Orange, was one of the first African Americans to play in the Major Leagues and was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. In addition, a memorial recognizing the valor of Orange Police Detective Kieran T. Shields was dedicated in April 2007. Shields lost his life on August 7, 2006, while attempting to apprehend a shooting suspect.
The new community center building was opened earlier in 2025. The two baseball fields were updated with synthetic grass infields and natural sod outfields in 2024. The formal gardens located near the Monte Irvin Statue were redone in 2021. The playground was modernized and expanded in 2016. Public accessibility into the park was enhanced in 2014 when new crosswalks, sidewalk ramps, pathways and roadway striping were installed on Oakwood Avenue. In 2009, a soccer field with a synthetic grass surface was installed as part of a $1.1 million upgrade. A $1.2 million facelift to upgrade the park entrances, gardens, baseball fields and pond area was completed in April 2007. The basketball court and restroom building were rebuilt in May 2006 for $527,968. Modern equipment and a rubberized safety surface were installed in the playground in March 2004. The improvements were funded with grants from the NJ Green Acres program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust 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 23 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 47.63 acres, Orange Park is the sixth largest county park in Essex and is considered to be part of the original County Park System designed by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architectural firm. Property for Orange Park was purchased in 1897, making it one of the oldest county parks in the country.
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