ORANGE : Council Authorizes Park Grant Request

The City Council this week authorized a grant application to raise $38,000 for improvements at Pitcher Park.

The action allows the Department of Community Services to apply for a state grant that provides funding for recreational facilities in urban areas. Community Services has already raised $377,000 in developer’s fees and $100,000 from a county urban park grant for the development of the park.

So far, the city has spent about $50,000 for demolition of buildings and removal of hazardous materials from the site, Gary Wann, Community Services director, said.

Pitcher Park, a half-acre lot at Cambridge Street and Almond Avenue, was donated to the city by longtime resident Alice Pitcher in 1989. Original buildings on the property, including a house, honey shed and barn, were recently demolished and will be replaced with replicas that will house historical artifacts and displays from the city’s agricultural era.