Robert "Bobby" McKinley was a life-long resident of Lakewood Township until his passing last year. He was 84 years old.
Bobby lived for many years at 56 Drake Road, near Neimann Road. He fought at Lakewood's land use boards in opposition to over-development of his neighborhood.
He worked for 64 years for the Ocean County Parks and Recreational Department - a position which brought him much pride and joy.
When he passed away, his family knew exactly what he wanted them to do with his 2 acres property - save it from development and donate it to the Ocean County Parks and Recreational Department instead.
This final wish is now becoming a dream come true.
As the news was very first broken here on FAA News, back in December 2023, the Ocean County Board of Commissioners took the first step by formally accepting the parcel, "for the restricted use by the Ocean County Parks and Recreational Department to develop a new park facility in Lakewood Township."
In even more substantive news, County officials this week announced that a brand new playground is planned to be constructed at the newly acquired "Matthews McKinley Park." Construction is likely to commence in the coming months.
The new park property is across from a farm at 49 Drake which County officials have also acquired for preservation.
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1 comment:
Thank you Bobby for allowing us in Lakewood to have a much needed public park for the local families. I hope more will follow in your footsteps and give us the much needed open space to breath instead of the over the top development of every single parcel in Lakewood.
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