Mercer_County_Park References

The Richard J. Coffee Mercer County Park is a recreational park located in West Windsor Township and small western sections of Hamilton and Lawrence Townships in Mercer County, New Jersey. Originally and still more commonly known as Mercer County Park, the park was renamed in October 2009 in honor of New Jersey State Senator Richard J. Coffee.^[1]

The park encompasses over 2,500 acres (10 km²) covering much of southern West Windsor, with portions extending into adjacent Hamilton and Lawrence. Mercer Lake, located within the park, is the home for the US Olympic Rowing Team's training center.^[2] The National Softball Association honored the Mercer County Park Commission with its "Outstanding Parks Award" for the softball fields and facilities in Mercer County Park. It has served as the home field for the New Jersey Pride of the Major League Lacrosse for one game in 2004, 2005 and 2006. It has also hosted semi-professional Minor League Cricket matches.

History

The land was acquired between the late 1960s and the early 1970s. It consists of 50-plus pieces of property, which included many farms. Ground was broken for the park in June 1971. Because of the construction of Routes I-95 and I-295, the lake basin was excavated and paid for by selling gravel to the highway contractors, which in turn helped excavate the basin now known as Lake Mercer.

Facilities

36 holes of golf (Mercer Oaks East and West)
Seventeen athletic fields used for soccer, football, and lacrosse
Ice skating center^[3] (home to the Mercer Bulldogs special hockey team [1])
Tennis center (24 total courts - six of which are covered and are lit)
Cross country course
Mountain biking area
Boat house/marina
Finn Caspersen Rowing Center
Crew course
Nature trail
Fishing
Hiking and jogging area
3-mile paved trail
Picnic areas
Dog parks
Frisbee golf course
Three sand volleyball courts
Two cricket pitches
Seven basketball courts
Ten softball fields
Veterans Memorial Park
Parking facilities
Seven washrooms
9/11 Memorial, a steel beam weighing one ton and ten feet long was given to the county by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in March 2011 and is now displayed at Mercer County Park to commemorate Mercer County victims who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan.