Celebrating our 134th anniversary in West Hudson

Once facing east, along Schuyler Avenue at the entrance, the changes in Gunnel Oval are obvious. At the front door there is a curved red sign with the name of the entertainment facility to greet you. And you can't help but notice the large amount of green on the artificial turf in every corner of this place.

This is the culmination of a huge project, turning an outdated, dilapidated field into a state-of-the-art, multifunctional outdoor leisure center for young people and adults-because of active and passive entertainment.

On Monday, April 5th, Kearny Mayor Alberto G. Santos and Neglia engineer David Silva took The Observer to tour the new oval. To say that this place is impressive is an understatement.

When we first started walking around, perhaps the most striking thing was how wide all the halls between the fields and the rest of the place were. According to Santos, this was intentional.

"We want everything to comply with ADA standards," the mayor said. "There is enough space to pass from one point to another."

The walkway leads to a set of outdoor sports equipment that fully complies with ADA standards, stairs for stepping, and tension bars for exercising arms and legs. Each side is designed for anyone, anyone can simply sit down and start work-but on the other side there is a place where people in wheelchairs can drive directly to work without having to transfer to a bench superior.

Then we stopped in the area near the snack bar. The triangular building will also have a wall of honor, and a plaque will mark the names of all those who named the fields.

Then, we headed to the new playground. Here, we found swings, skating pools, climbing poles and wheels, which can be used for children to spin. All this is accompanied by a foamy floor, which will bring greater safety when children fall or any other type of accident occurs.

Think of all the cuts and bruises caused by the dirt and pebbles on the old-fashioned playground. This will no longer be because the entire playground area is very safe and modern.

And the area is large-many children can play at one time.

There are also benches around the entire playground, so when the children are playing, mom and dad can take a quick breath when they need it.

Just outside the playground-of course, near the snack bar, there are several outdoor picnic tables where you can bring food and eat. You can even bring your own food, especially when the snack bar is closed. There are many trash cans nearby, just like the ones you see in town-those are solar powered and can be opened without touching (they are equipped with foot pedals.)

After eating, the restrooms are completely non-contact. (The sensor will open the sink and toilet bowl.)

Now, as we continue to walk around the oval, Santos points to some security cameras. They are all strategically placed-and can be monitored remotely.

"All cameras are directly transmitted to the Carney Police Department headquarters," Santos said. "We hope they will act as a deterrent to anyone who might consider vandalism or graffiti. The oval will be a very safe location."

Then there is the new, huge lighthouse. Each of them is very energy-efficient and can be controlled remotely via a mobile phone application. This means that when the lights must be on, entertainment director Ralph Cattafi (Ralph Cattafi) can easily turn them on with a mobile phone from anywhere in the world. And, according to Silva, unlike the old lighting, they start up much faster.

In addition to the incredibly beautiful green from the new venue, perhaps the other most distinctive addition to the new oval is the addition of a red standard size volleyball court. Santos said there is a growing demand for places to play volleyball in the town, and until now, the only possible places are the dirt and grass of West Hudson Park.

Currently, as with the new basketball courts, these locations will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Unless demand grows or a volleyball league is established, it will remain in this state. (Not now.)

At the same time, the same skating components as the original ellipse still exist and do not need to be upgraded. It's so new

One only needs to remember what happened when Superstorm Sandy hit the area in 2012. The oval was badly damaged by flooding. But almost no superstorm inundated this place-even Easter or strong thunderstorms would submerge parts of the oval under water.

The two large pumping stations are now part of an oval, and if rainwater forms, Silva said, the pumps will soon start and drain the water.

"It shouldn't take more than nine minutes," he said.

Depending on the water level, it can bring water into the swamp behind the oval faster.

Santos said the pumps were tested in a recent storm-they worked very well.

According to the design, we saved the best and finally tell you.

All the new venues are incredible and are made of synthetic turf. One is used in junior leagues, the other is used in softball, one is used in football, and the other is multi-purpose and can be used in baseball and football. In the planning stage, when the opinions of residents and those involved in urban sports were solicited, there was a debate about whether to add a baseball field or a football field.

The result is the current settings, some are specific, some are multi-purpose.

Santos said that this is a good compromise.

"We hope everyone will be happy," he said.

Now, because these venues are synthetic-which means there is no live grass, and no real dirt-it is much easier to drain the rain and restore the venue to a playable state, much faster than about 24 hours Dry the field on the original oval shape.

In the end, the entire facility is about one foot higher than the old place. You might even notice this if you look behind the houses on East Midland Avenue, which can be seen on the north side of the park. All this is to help flooding, and to help keep the swamp water out when the tide is high.

"We are very satisfied with this project," Santos said.

Silva can also say the same. He said that although he likes the project very much, he is "happy that this is about to end."

Now, thanks to the fruits of the labor of all participants, the town has the most enviable recreational facilities in the area, if not the state.

Editor's note: The town stated that Gunnel Oval is now officially open to the public, 7 days a week, from 9 am to dusk. It may open later on the match day, but no later than 10pm

Kevin Canessa (Kevin Canessa) is the editor and broadcaster of The Observer, who has been with the company intermittently since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of newspapers and websites, the production of electronic newspapers, writes several stories every week (including weekly editorials), and broadcasts live on Facebook Live, including weekly news reviews-and more behind-the-scenes stories. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced to the newspaper its first blog-which included podcasts, audio and video. Kevin is from Jersey City and has lived in Carney until 2004, living in Port Saint Lucie. In Florida, for four years until February 2016 and March of the same year, he moved back to West Hudson and returned to the Observer full-time. Click here to send an email to Kevin.