The Alternative Press

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - For the first time in more than 100 years, improvements are being made to the hiking trails in Essex County's South Mountain Reservation.

State and local officials gathered Monday afternoon at the Mayapple Hill entrance to the reservation, off South Orange Avenue, to see what work has been done so far and hear plans for the rest of the project.

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold, South Mountain Conservancy President Dennis Percher, and various others who are working on the project talked about the improvements, which will help curb the extensive soil erosion that occurs when the area has significant rainfall, as it did last summer during Hurricane Irene.

Funding for the project is being done through grants from Green Acres, and Essex County is matching the funds with money from its Open Space Fund.

"There was a lot of soil erosion," Percher said. "You couldn't go up there after a heavy rain and not come back all muddy. And if there was an emergency, you couldn't get a fire truck up there."

The new trails, which cover about 2.5 miles of the reservation, will be about two feet wide and made of natural surfaces. They also will enhance accessibility throughout South Mountain Reservation by providing new access points from Northfield Avenue, near Turtle Back Zoo, and going all the way through to Route 10.

“We are pleased to be partnering with the South Mountain Conservancy to repair and expand the hiking trail system through Essex County South Mountain Reservation. These improvements will provide visitors with a high quality trail system to experience, explore and enjoy the reservation,” DiVincenzo said.

“On behalf of the Freeholder Board, we are pleased to support a project that improves our residents’ quality of life. Working with the County Executive, we have done so much to enhance open space in Essex County,” Sebold said.

Essex County, West Orange, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey and South Mountain Conservancy worked together to preserve 11 additional acres of undeveloped open space and added that property to South Mountain Reservation in October 2009. The acquisition expanded the total size of South Mountain Reservation to 2,110 acres.

The RBA Group from Parsippany received a $103,000 contract to design the trail improvements. JAC Excavating from Howell, NJ, was awarded a publicly bid contract for $985,000 to perform the construction work. The Essex County Department of Public Works is working with the contractor to answer questions and make sure the project remains on schedule. Funding is being provided through a NJ Green Acres grant received by the South Mountain Conservancy and a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. Work is scheduled to be completed by August 27, 2012.

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 20 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, Treetop Adventure Course, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range, two miniature golf courses, three off-leash dog facilities, a castle and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Essex County’s South Mountain Reservation covers about 2,110 acres and is located in West Orange, Maplewood and Millburn. It is the largest reservation in Essex County.