Existing section of brick and wrought iron fence at Ely Park
Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio and city council are expected on Tuesday to award a contract to complete the brick and wrought iron façade across the front border of Ely Park.
City council voted to allocate $410,000 to the project at its June 19 meeting.
The new fence will run along North Main Street from just below the Lambertville Public School playground to the end of the city’s football field at Jefferson Street. It will enhance the park’s safety and make it aesthetically more pleasing, in keeping with the character of the community, according to Friends of Ely Park, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing the space.
Section of chain link fence in disrepair
The new façade is a key element in the reimagining of the park as an attractive and welcoming center for community life, said the group, who credits the late Jim Hamilton with the concept.
Hamilton, a lifelong Lambertville resident, restaurateur and designer, envisioned the park as the capstone to his 1979 master plan for the redevelopment of the downtown.
Future water feature
Façade construction is set to begin in 2019, and is expected to last three months, according to Friends of Ely Park.
Next, the group hopes to fund and develop the Hamilton Fountain – a water feature and plaza with brick and bluestone seating dedicated to Hamilton and his family. Donations can be made online.
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