Essex County officials held a ground-breaking event on Wednesday, May 12, on construction of a miniature golf course with an African theme and nearly 300 parking spaces. The mini golf course is phase one of a project to develop the corner of Northfield Avenue and Cherry Lane. Phase two is a boathouse restaurant. Total project costs are project at $4.9 million.

The new complex is near the existing Turtle Back Zoo and Codey Arena. Phase one is due to be completed in September.

County officials are in negotiations with a vendor to run the restaurant.

The entire area will be called the South Mountain Recreation Complex. Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. said he doesn't want just the county know about the complex. He wants it to be a destination spot for people throughout the state and elsewhere.

Others may oppose the project, he said, but the corner lot has been an eyesore for years and the project represents economic development. "We can't wait for the federal government to help us," he said. "We need to do it for ourselves."

He said the project is a way to generate jobs for the county. About 80 percent of the people working on the job will be from Essex County. Additionally, $4.1 million of the project's cost will stay in the county.

Of the 200 zoos in the northeast, he said, Turtle Back Zoo is the only one that is self-sufficient. The zoo needs $1.8 million to run, and it generates $3 million in revenue. The arena generates $1.8 million in revenue, and county officials hope to generate more with a new arena manager in place. DiVincenzo said county officials hope to generate $200,000 from the golf course. He could not say how much the restaurant will generate in revenue, he said, but it would add additional revenue.

County officials also are negotiating with the City of Orange to use the reservoir, which is located behind the plot where the mini golf course will be located. They hope to use the waterway for fishing and boating. "Most people don't even know the waterway is there," DiVincenzo said.

But the Millburn Environmental Commission is opposed to the project. Commission Chairman Vic Benes sent a letter to DiVincenzo with the resolution the commission approved. The resolution cites how Millburn is downstream on the Rahway River watershed from the project.

The resolution charges developing the land for commercial use is "in violation of its intended uses for open space and free outdoor recreation." The commission asks the public to be included in the design processes of facilities on public property, make sure development in and around South Mountain Reservation are held to the most sustainable building methods and include environmental education about the area.

The Millburn Township Committee has not approved the resolution, but it has been sent to it for review.