No, it’s not your imagination. The big upgrade of Verona Park is a little bit behind schedule.
On May 2, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. and Essex County Parks Department chief Dan Salvante, a Verona native, unveiled plans for a $1 million update to the park that included new decorative lighting and a new, all-weather deck around the boathouse. The decking was quickly completed but work on the lighting (see the drawing below) has fallen victim to the heat wave. According to a county spokesman, the PSE&G crews needed for the installation were sometimes called off on emergency work.
They are returning to the park now, and the county spokesman says all the work should be completed by the end of August. The county also recently partnered with the Anthony Fasano Foundation and a team of volunteers to renovate the bocce courts in the park.
