The New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers will be conferring an Honorable Mention 2023 Project of the Year Award in the category of Municipal Construction Management Projects for communities with less than 20,000 residents to Clark Township Engineer, Richard O’ Connor, P.E., P.P., C.M.E., of Grotto Engineering Associates LLC. for the Athletic Complex Improvements for Arthur L. Johnson High School. The Award is to be conferred at NJSME’s Luncheon to be held on November 15, 2023 in Room 302 at the Atlantic City Convention Center, in conjunction with the New Jersey League of Municipalities Conference.
In 2022 and 2023, the Township of Clark, in cooperation with the Clark Public School District Board of Education, and FieldTurf, designed and constructed improvements to the athletic facility complex at Arthur L. Johnson High School. The new multi-sport artificial turf fields and reconstructed tennis courts will serve the Township’s high school boys’ baseball, girls’ softball, soccer, field hockey, and tennis programs as well as various Township Recreation Programs. Improved amenities include 187,000 square feet of FieldTurf playing fields, 4 tennis courts, two scoreboards, portable outfield fencing, batting cages, roofed dugouts, bleachers, and pedestrian walkways.
With an initial project budget projection exceeding $4 million, Grotto worked with the end users and FieldTurf to design a smaller field footprint of overlapping fields using portable fencing for separation. The resultant cost savings allowed for expansion of the project to include the tennis court reconstruction, addition of bleachers, and paved perimeter accessible pathways while staying within desired budget parameters.
The fields were constructed above an underground stormwater management system designed to collect, store, and discharge stormwater runoff in compliance with NJDEP regulations requiring significant reductions from pre-construction levels and discharging ultimately to the Clark Wildlife Preserve and Habitat in an environmentally safe manner.
Significant work items were performed over the two summer seasons when school was not in session as well as “off-season” to limit the disruptions to the school and the various athletic and recreation programs during construction.
Grotto has previously received the Project of the Year Award in 2007 in the category of Inter-Governmental Cooperation for its work on the Athletic Complex for ALJ High School in Clark, in
2009 in the category of Construction Management for stabilizing a section of Branch 10-24 of the Rahway River in the Borough of Kenilworth, and in 2012 in the category of Inter-Governmental Cooperation for work on the “Green Design” Parking Lot Improvements and “Green Design” Vehicle Washing initiatives constructed by the Township of Clark.
Grotto, with offices in Clark New Jersey, is the Municipal Engineer for the Township of Clark and the Borough of North Plainfield. Grotto also represents the Green Brook Flood Control Commission, serves as Special Projects Engineer for the City of South Amboy, the Township of Piscataway, and is the Planning Board Engineer for the Township of Hillside.
Grotto’s mission is to give our clients what they need, when they need it, at the price that they expect. Grotto understands that the road to developing engineering solutions is not a one-way street but a collaborative process of evaluating goals, community needs, and resources to develop a work plan that meets Client expectations. As a Client-driven company, Grotto listens, communicates, and participates with its Clients from Concept through Construction.
Grotto would like to thank Mayor Sal Bonaccorso, Clark Township Council, Administration, and Staff, Department of Public Works, Township Board of Education, and the Arthur L. Johnson’s High School’s Principal, Faculty, Staff, and Students for their contributions, assistance, and participation.
For additional information contact Grotto Engineering Associates LLC at 908-272-8901.
