Mermaid Park Master Plan Available
The final Master Plan for Mermaid Park is available for review. The Master Plan presents a possible road map for the future development of the park.
The plan is an outcome of a year-long planning effort including four public meetings, eight committee meetings and over 1,200 responses to a public survey. It calls for the removal of the current pool and dam and naturalization of the waterway running through the Mermaid property. Besides being in the middle of the floodplain, the existing pool is well beyond its useful life.
Removal of the pool and dam will make way for an environmentally sensitive restoration of the waterway which will create riparian buffers, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce downstream flooding by increasing stormwater capacity.
The final master plan also shows inclusive nature-based playgrounds, pickleball courts, public restrooms, space for a potential public pool, and the preservation of various structures on the property, including the barn and farmhouse.
Township consultants have determined a new pool can fit on the site, but a separate feasibility study should occur to determine the viability and size of any potential public pool.
The Master Plan will help guide the Township as decisions about the property are made in the coming years and decades. Not all the improvements listed in the plan will necessarily be built.
Funding will play a major role determining which of the improvements listed in the plan come to fruition. Possible sources of funding include, grants, public/private partnerships, donations, adjustments to the earned income tax specifically for open space, and adjustments to real estate taxes.
