Kip’s Castle is a turn-of-the mansion on Verona’s eastern ridge. It’s been many things over the years, not all of which have been an asset to Verona. Now Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. is inviting the public to attend two meetings to share their ideas about what to do with Kip’s, from property improvements to activities. The input will be used to create a new master plan for Kip’s.
The first meeting will be Tuesday, March 15 at the Israel Crane House, 110 Orange Road in Montclair, at 7 p.m. The second meeting will be Tuesday, March 22 at the Verona Park Boathouse, also at 7 p.m. Both meeting locations are handicap accessible.
The county bought Kip’s in 2007 for $5.6 million, using a $2.8 million grant from New Jersey’s Green Acres program and a $2.8 million grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund, and added it to the county parks system. It invested $517,000 in the property that year for signage, paving, lighting and drainage. In addition to the 30-room medieval-style castle, there is also a large carriage house and 11 acres of property, nine of which are in Verona. A variety of county events have been held at Kip’s since, including house tours, concerts, weddings and small group meetings.
For more information about the meetings, please call 973-239-7072.
Kip’s Castle photo by Fred Goode.
