NEWARK, NJ — Essex County has kicked off a million-dollar effort to "modernize" the Shakil Williams Playground in Essex County Branch Brook Park, officials recently announced.

The new playground will be designed with a music theme, have musical instruments incorporated into the apparatus and have a small amphitheater for performances. In addition, it will have a variety of play equipment that is age-appropriate for children in the two- to five-year-old age group and five- to 12-year-old age group, Essex County officials said. The $1.05 million project will include new apparatus and a rubberized safety surface, officials stated.

Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival 2017: Get Your Bloom On According to officials, the old playground had separate areas for the two age groups with a natural grass path dividing them. The new design combines the play areas into one 12,000-square-foot facility and eliminates the natural turf path which was always worn and muddy because of the amount of children who came to play. In addition, the playground will be relocated closer to an existing open air pavilion, officials said.

Additional upgrades include a paved pathway connecting the playground to the open-air pavilion and other walking paths in the Southern Division of Branch Brook Park, tree trimming, landscaping, benches and trash receptacles. A fence will be erected around the perimeter of the playground to prevent children from running off. County officials said that Suburban Consulting from Flanders received a $49,950 contract to design the new playground. Tec-Con Contractors from East Orange was awarded a publicly-bid contract for $1,055,740 to perform the construction work. Funding for the playground is being provided through the Essex County Capital Budget and a grant from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund.

Construction of the playground started earlier in March and it is scheduled to open in July, officials said.

The park – which is located in the North Ward of Newark and in Belleville - is listed on both the New Jersey (1980) and National (1981) Registers of Historic Places. According to county officials, Branch Brook Park was created in 1895 and is the first park in Essex County's system.