VENTNOR – Students from Atlantic County Institute of Technology worked for weeks envisioning what the proposed Ventnor West eco-park will look like. The students presented their ideas to the Board of Commissioners Feb. 13 showing how the park can be utilized as an outdoor classroom and more.
Under the direction of teacher Drew Holmes, the students worked in groups with numerous design professionals and Atlantic County government, which provided GIS information that the students used to develop a three-dimensional typographical map of the site. The students also created a booklet that included various concepts that could be incorporated into the project.
Mayor Tim Krieble said the city challenged the students to come up with designs for the park, which is a former landfill that is now mostly wetlands and a bit of uplands.
“A fascinating experience for me to see the creativity and skill of the class,” Kriebel said. “They really expanded on the idea of what this park can be in the future.”
Kriebel called the huge track of land a “blank canvas” with which to work.
Students also collaborated with Stockton and Rutgers universities to develop their ideas.
Each table was charged with coming up with a conceptual design in consideration of the needs of visitors, including those with special needs, and to minimize the need for extensive city services.
The site is a city landfill that locals call “glass beach” due to pieces of glass that dot the landscape. The students learned that due to inundation of the wetlands, only a small portion of upland could be improved.
Their concepts include an arched entrance to the eco-park, murals and statues of natural materials that reflect the marine environment and wildlife that make it home. They incorporated glass into their designs, which included an outdoor classroom with benches and desks that can be used by students of the Ventnor Educational Community Complex, which is adjacent to the park. One student included a rotating white board at the center of the circular design that can be turned to face student groups as needed.
The designs included natural vegetation, including grasses and trees for shade that are indigenous to the area and a greenhouse where native plants could be raised.
“You guys are amazing,” Commissioner Maria Mento said. “I could never do this in high school, and I still can’t do it now. Every time I’m exposed to ACIT I’m more impressed. I hope we can get to see some of this come to life.”
Kriebel said the city’s professional design team will review the students’ designs at a kickoff meeting planned in the coming weeks.
In other business, the board swore in three new firefighters. Nicholas Lacovara, Ryan Devenny and William Tillis took their oaths of office, effective Feb. 16.
Students at Atlantic County Institute of Techology studied the proposed Ventnor eco-park at Ventnor West and presented their concepts at the Feb. 13, 2025 Board of Commissioners meeting.
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