They say that all good things are worth waiting for.
It’s been a long wait before planning and then construction of the Hopewell Township Bandshell was complete. But the day has finally come, and that, certainly, is a good thing.
On Saturday, May 11, Hopewell Township, the Hopewell Township Committee, the Woolsey Park Advisory Committee and many Hopewell Valley first responders will be on hand in Woolsey Park to commemorate the bandshell’s grand opening.
Festivities are set to begin at 11 a.m. with a grand opening ceremony. Township Committee members including Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning, Deputy Mayor Uma Purandare and Woolsey Park Advisory Committee liaison Michael Ruger will be among the local officials who will be on hand to help cut the ribbon.
Following that, Peters-Manning will recognize Hopewell Valley first responders with the 2024 Mayor’s Awards, before dedicating the bandshell in their honor.
The first ever Hopewell Cultural Festival is set to follow, hosted by Hopewell Township and Culture Connections, an area nonprofit organization based in Hopewell Valley.
The cultural festival is expected to feature food, community resources and performances with cultural significance.
“We are thrilled at the opening of this new community resource, and I am proud that Hopewell Township is honoring all first responders in the Valley with the dedication of the Woolsey Park Bandshell and the 2024 Mayor’s Awards,” Peters-Manning told the Express. “I am hoping that the awards will become an annual tradition to honor an outstanding member of each of our first responder divisions: police, fire, EMS, and public works.”
Peters-Manning added that Hopewell Borough Mayor Ryan Kennedy and Pennington Mayor James Davy will also be on hand to present awards to first responders from the boroughs.
Hopewell Township received a $500,000 grant from the State of New Jersey back in 2021 for the purpose of constructing a bandshell in Woolsey Park. The grant was obtained with the support of Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, Sen. Shirley Turner and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson.
Woolsey Park, formerly known as Alliger Park, is used by Hopewell Township for a variety of recreational purposes, including the township’s annual Independence Day fireworks. Woolsey Park is also the home of the Sept. 11 and Veterans memorials.
As Woolsey Park Advisory Committee liaison, Michael Ruger was a heavily involved in the bandshell process.
“Once the township received the grant, the Woolsey Park Advisory Committee went to work. The members, which include community volunteers as well as township staff, looked at siting options,” Ruger says. “We quickly learned that many sites in Woolsey Park would not work because the structure has to be a certain distance away from where fireworks are launched, and the bandshell should not be too close to homes. Also, we wanted to take into account other uses of the park, as well as parking.”
The advisory committee also considered a variety of design options, including color, size and material. The goal, Ruger says, was to get the largest bandshell possible given the budget, while also complementing the overall aesthetic of the park and minimizing maintenance needs.
The full township committee heard and accepted the WPAC’s recommendations in September 2022. The job went out to bid, and a contract for construction was issued by early 2023.
A number of challenges delayed the start of construction, Ruger says, including some permitting issues and a problem getting bandshell parts shipped from the manufacturer. But ground was finally broken in October 2023, and now that construction is complete, the grand opening celebration can take place on May 11.
“Working on the Woolsey Park Bandshell has been a journey that has taken a bit longer than anticipated but has produced a great result,” Ruger says.
The township had an option of several projects it could pursue when it was applying for the grant from the state.
“We wanted to do this because we felt it was something that the entire community could benefit from and could be a lasting asset of the park,” Ruger says. “Really it’s another step forward in completing the park.”
While the bandshell took longer than expected to complete, Ruger says the project was done on budget and without using any township funds outside of the state grant.
“The members of the WPAC worked tirelessly to get this project finished. Without their help, this project would not have been completed,” Ruger says.
He says recognition is due to Russ Graznow, Chris Pazdan, Carol Lipson, Mike Chipowsky, Jim Gambino, Karen Poveromo and Dave Guerard, as well as Jim Hutzelmann, Hopewell’s director of community development and township engineer.
Earlier this year, the township committee set aside $50,000 in the budget for construction of a pavilion in Woolsey Park that would be available to members of the community for use. “It would be another amenity for the park,” Ruger says.
Other than the grand opening celebration and cultural festival, no events are planned for the bandshell, but Ruger says that the committee intends to adopt an ordinance in the near future that will allow people to lease the bandshell for events. The township department of parks and recreation will take charge of planning for any kind of events.
Those who would like to be a part of the cultural showcase can email sushmasiyal@gmail.com. Those interested in participating in the Cultural Festival as a vendor can email to jkarpiscak@hopewelltwp.org.
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