Branch Brook Park

French & Parrello Associates (FPA) was retained by Essex County to design two new softball fields and a baseball field, each featuring synthetic turf infields and natural sod outfields. The field improvements include new shaded dugouts, domed backstops, 8-foot-high PVC-coated fencing, player benches, and two powder-coated steel bleachers accommodating up to 50 spectators. A 40-foot-high fiberglass flagpole, equipped with solar-powered lighting, ensures the American flag remains illuminated at night.

FPA designed the fields with proper grading for both the synthetic turf infields and grass outfields. An underdrain system beneath the synthetic turf was integrated into a detention system, meeting New Jersey Stormwater regulations. At the county’s request, the project also features ADA-compliant paved access pathways, seamlessly connecting the fields to the parking lot. Visitors to Branch Brook Park will benefit from added amenities, including ornamental trash receptacles, benches, informational signage, water bottle filling stations, and water fountains.

Adjacent to the new athletic fields is a new Community Center, for which FPA provided a range of professional services. These included an environmental preliminary assessment, limited topographic survey, geotechnical evaluation, site planning and design, landscape architecture, infiltration basin testing, stormwater management design, permitting, construction plans, bidding assistance, and construction administration.