TURNING A FORMER SUPERFUND SITE INTO AN AWARD-WINNING PARK.

On March 21, 2000, the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association announced that this year's Kinsey Award for Excellence in Design goes to Alcyon Lake Park in Pitman, New Jersey. Visitors can enjoy such amenities as baseball fields with dugouts, softball fields, a football field, two tournament-sized soccer fields, a picnic pavilion, bike path, concession stand, wildflower meadow, and open play area. What visitors will not see is that this 38-acre tract was once the location of the United States EPA's number one Superfund Site!

The Lipari Landfill was a 15-acre site that accepted approximately 3 million gallons of liquid waste and 12,000 cubic yards of solid waste between 1958 and 1971. The landfill was shut down in 1971 by the EPA, but not before its contaminants seeped into the area's underlying aquifers, causing the pollution to spread to nearby Alcyon Lake and Alcyon Park.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Alcyon Park offered various local sport and recreation attractions, including a boardwalk, bathhouse, merry-go-round, horse track, motorcycle and automobile races, thrill shows, and daredevil performances. The park's pollution caused it to be shut down in 1981, and many believed that the park would stay a baron wasteland forever.

In 1993, the EPA and local residents launched a cleanup project. The Pitman Land Use Committee, consisting of hard-working and dedicated individuals, won the 1995 Governor's Volunteer Award, which is given to people who donate their time and talents for the betterment of New Jersey. After several years of cleanup efforts, the ground pollution was successfully capped and the lake decontaminated. The Pitman Land Use Committee decided that it was time to resurrect this park, and in 1996, they selected the civil engineering firm of Lord Anderson Worrell & Barnett, Inc. (LAWB) to work with them on this task. LAWB collaborated with their most experienced planners, landscape architects, environmental scientists, and certified leisure professionals, as well as local citizens, police, and school, town, and state officials, about the best ways to rejuvenate this park for recreation enthusiasts of all ages. Along with the basic needs of the park, municipal officials wanted to bring wildlife back to this area. And above all, came the community's desire to include a memorial reference to the park's rich heritage. Room was reserved in the center of the park for a monument dedicated to Alcyon's history and to everyone who made an effort to restore this park to its former glory.

Designers placed a plaza in the center of the park as a focal point. Within this central plaza is a unique, hexagon-shaped concession stand and scoring pavilion. The structure was the first of its kind and is constructed of state-of-the-art materials designed for safety, accessibility, and long-term usability, providing a bird's-eye view of the entire site. After studying pictures of Alcyon's old speedway, the engineers designed a walking path around the perimeter of the park that emulates the layout of the original racing track. The entire park, including the path system, was made ADA accessible to accommodate the needs of all individuals.

The design's finishing touch is a wildflower meadow just beyond the playing fields, which is meant to entice wildlife into the park. Nature trails are marked throughout the park and the wooded area that lies along its boundaries.

Construction on the park began in 1997, and in April 1999, the new Alcyon Lake Park was a reality. Since its opening more than a year ago, the park has flourished. The athletic fields are being used by a number of community organizations. Bicyclists, inline skaters, and joggers swish by on the paved pathways. Seniors stroll through the park and enjoy picnicking beside the lake. School children enjoy nature trails and educational tours of the park and learn of its history. According to former Pitman Council President, Doug Stuart, "The community has embraced this park, and visitors are in awe when they come to play on our fields."