Miry Run Ponds, Mercer County Wins Landscape Architecture Award

EAST WINDSOR, NJ — The Mercer County Park Commission’s Miry Run Ponds Master Plan recently won the 2021 Chapter Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (NJASLA), county executive Brian M Hughes announced.

Jury members voted unanimously for the master plan, and the award was announced at the NJASLA virtual meeting held on Jan. 31.

The master plan process was led by consultants Simone Collins Landscape Architecture and Princeton Hydro. It includes an ambitious and environmentally sensitive plan for the 279-acre County property in Hamilton, West Windsor and Robbinsville.

The panel of jurors from the Oregon Chapter of the ASLA selected Miry Run Ponds Master Plan, also known as Dam Site 21, based on the research, design, restoration, and public participation process that informed the final plan.

“With input from the public, our consultants helped us create a vision for the park that will improve water quality in the lake and make it more accessible to Mercer County residents,” Park Commission Executive Director Aaron T. Watson said in a statement.

“The Park Commission is honored to have a project recognized by the NJASLA and we look forward to acting on our plan in the years ahead.”

Improvement work in Phase 1 is estimated to be completed in 2024.

According to Peter Simone, President of Simone Collins Landscape Architect, the master plan "proposes 34 acres of new forest," which will contain around 14,800 new trees, and 64 acres of new native meadows.

“In addition to ecological restoration of the site, the plan’s predominant recommendation is for six miles of new trails. Access for kayaking, fishing and visitor parking are also proposed,” he said.

More information on the park plan can be found by visiting www.mercercountyparks.org.