Vineland's Campanella Park has a new playground.
Vineland City highlighted Campanella Park's new playground in a post on Vineland City's Facebook page.
Campanella Park sits within Vineland's broader network of public recreation spaces. According to the City of Vineland, the city currently maintains 18 parks and recreational areas totaling approximately 405 acres, offering what the city describes as numerous and varied amenities for the entire family to enjoy.
Recreation Across Vineland
Campanella Park is part of Vineland's public recreation network.
Maintenance of those spaces falls to the city's Recreation Division, which is responsible for the preparation and upkeep of athletic fields and public park areas, the city notes on its recreation page. That infrastructure underpins projects like the one now complete at Campanella Park.
A Separate Inclusive Playground Has Also Been in the Works
Vineland has spent the past several years pursuing a separate, much larger playground project at the Joseph E. Romano Youth Sports Complex on Maple Avenue, commonly referred to as Jake's Park. That effort, distinct from the Campanella Park opening, has been billed as the city's first playground designed specifically for children and adults with a variety of disabilities, according to the Courier Post.
The city hired a design firm for that project back in February 2021, with plans delivered roughly two years later, the outlet reported. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in April, and the Courier Post reported the project would feature eight activity areas, including accessible playground zones and a sensory garden for people on the autism spectrum.
NJ.com reported that the city broke ground in April on the inclusive park, which was expected to be completed by early fall and would include a wheelchair-accessible playground with eight distinct areas, an ADA-compliant aquatic splash play space, exercise circuit stations, picnic tables, benches and ADA-compliant parking. Funding details for that project have varied between accounts: the Courier Post reported that grants totaling $5,313,00 were secured from the Green Acres Program with the city adding $400,000, while NJ.com reported the project was funded entirely through a New Jersey Green Acres grant.
Vineland officials previously described the inclusive park as more than a neighborhood amenity. As City Solicitor Richard Tonetta told council members, as reported by The Daily Journal, “not only does it benefit the family and the kids, but it's a destination place.” That outlet also reported the project's price tag had grown to nearly $5 million, with a final design featuring eight distinct areas including inclusive equipment, a sensory garden and an aquatic splash space.
For now, the news for Vineland families is simpler: Campanella Park has a new playground.
