Engineer Wins Award For Work on Manahassett Creek Park in Long Branch

DW Smith Associates, LLC is the recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Engineering Award for its work on Manahassett Creek Park project in Long Branch.

The award was presented by the New Jersey Alliance for Action as part of its first annual Distinguished Engineering Awards program, which was developed to honor innovative and outstanding engineering throughout the State of New Jersey.

The Manahassett Creek Park project was recognized for uniqueness and the positive impact it had on the state’s economy and environment.

Manahassett Creek Park is an active recreational park located on a 19-acre site along Manahassett Creek in Long Branch. DW Smith Associates served as the
professional engineering consulting firm for this project, which took place in two phases.

The first phase was completed in 2009 and the second phase was completed earlier this year.

The engineering team was led by Principal Engineer Timothy Lurie, PE, PP, CME and Project Engineer Jason Burneyko, PE. Services provided by the firm included site design and layout, construction management, specifications, bid analysis, contract administration, surveying, landscape design and site remediation.

The park includes a little league field, a softball field, a turf baseball field, two turf soccer fields, a turf football field, four tennis courts, two basketball courts, a putting green, a playground, a fitness trail and parking areas. The site is also home to a customized recreation pavilion which serves as the centerpiece of the entire park and houses a concession area, picnic table seating, a team meeting room, equipment storage room and restrooms.

The project demonstrated DW Smith Associates’ signature Greengineering® philosophy by incorporating sustainable design methods. This included the installation of Rain Gardens and monitoring wells, as well as the use of environmentally sensitive, low maintenance and cost- effective products.

Prior to the creation of Manahassett Creek Park, the site, which was previously the home to several underground storage tanks, was an area in need of environmental remediation. Additionally, the site had been poorly designed for run-off, resulting in flooding of nearby residential areas.

According to Director of the Office of Community and Economic Development for the City of Long Branch Jacob Jones, the Manahassett Creek Park project
addressed all of the city’s concerns regarding the site, including environmental, title and permitting issues, as well as utilities and infrastructure.

The City of Long Branch worked closely with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to address environmental issues and was able to secure Green Acres funding, in addition to monies from other sources, to assist in developing the property into the multi-use site it is today.

Manahassett Creek Park has been an asset to the community, serving the city’s need for recreational space for both its residents and visitors.

“It gives such a great sense of accomplishment to be able to design a park of this size in a shore town," Lurie said. "This park has something for everyone."