Piscataway is home to 26 parks that offer a wide range of recreational activities. Over the past eight years, these great parks have been improved and enhanced. Columbus Park's baseball field now has irrigation in the infield and the outfield. Parks which are equipped with playground equipment have all been upgraded so that this equipment meets the safety standards required by the State of New Jersey.

Wynnewood Park, years ago, was a neglected baseball field and an area over run with weeds. This park did not offer any organized form of recreation. Now, Wynnewood Park is an attractive park with a covered picnic area, a winding walking path, a beautiful playground and a top-notch tennis court. On any given day, you will see adults walking the path for exercise and young children playing on the playground. Parents with young children have a place to gather and interact with other parents while their children are entertained with the swings, slides and climbing equipment.

Piscataway's parks offer something for everyone. The wide variety of activities consist of: fishing, handball/tennis wall, roller hockey, soccer, children's playgrounds, sand volleyball, baseball fields, boating, tennis courts and picnic groves. Along with Piscataway's own parks, it is home to Middlesex County's Johnson's Park which offers picnic areas, fishing, soccer fields and a zoo.

All the improvements that were made over the past few years were significant enough to make Sports Illustrated rank Piscataway as Sportstown U.S.A. for the state of New Jersey. Piscataway was among 250 applicants that Sports Illustrated looked at, but Piscataway stood out because of the improvements that Mayor Wahler and the Town Council have made over the years, along with the fact that Piscataway provides free sports to all the youth in town. The five-person panel of judges for Sports Illustrated stated that 'Piscataway still is a place where youth play sports for free and has gone out of its way to guarantee quality facilities, well-trained volunteer coaches and inclusion strategies that make sports accessible to everyone.'

Green Acres, which is the site for many soccer games, baseball games and football practices, was once just a large open field. Parking was only available on the grass and along Sidney Road. Now there is a large paved area for parking. This improvement has prevented many an accident that could have occurred if a young soccer player was rushing to get to his or her team during a large soccer tournament that is quite often held in Piscataway.

Weaving its way along the perimeter of Green Acres is now a bikeway/pedestrian path. This path - known as the Kermit Sirois Bikeway was expanded to extend all the way to the high school. This was made possible because the Township applied for and was awarded a State grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation Livable Communities Pilot Program. This path provides an enjoyable trail to meander through while getting exercise. Everyone enjoys this path from senior citizens, to high school students and corporate employees.

In 2004, Piscataway held a ground breaking for a park that would be dedicated to the sport Cricket. Previously, the Piscataway Cricket Club had to play their sport on the Green Acres field. The Town Council and the Mayor felt that a dedicated area for Cricket would provide a better setting for the club. The Township applied for and was granted the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Livable Communities Grant. Receiving this grant made the formation of these Cricket fields possible.

The Town Council and Mayor were also responsive to the independently run Piscataway Soccer Club. The Club's Board came before the Town Council to explain that the field conditions at New Market and Conackamack were dangerous. These fields had poor grading and very little grass from overuse. In addition, debris that had accumulated in the soil was now coming to the surface of the fields. These conditions presented a real danger to the children and teens that played and practiced on these fields. The Town Council and Mayor corrected the problems and had the fields re-graded and seeded.

With the cooperation of the Board of Education, the Mayor and Town Council worked to install a state-of-the-art artificial turf field in the Piscataway High School football stadium. At the same time a new and improved running track was also installed. These improvements now provide everyone in Piscataway access to the football field and the track. On any given day or evening you will see all different sports teams using the field. Adults, teens and children use the track for training and exercise. What once was only a football field has now become a soccer field for both the high school students and the recreation teams in town.

This past spring a dedication ceremony was held for a brand new Little League facility. The need for this facility came from an unfortunate fire, but the Town Council and Mayor organized the effort to build a new and improved facility that now meets DCA code standards and the needs of ALL the citizens of Piscataway who attend baseball games. The facility is the envy of towns in the surrounding area.

Again, the forethought of the Town Council and Mayor has made the parks and recreation areas within the town, beneficial to all age groups and athletic abilities. The Council is responsive to Township run programs, as well as the independently run clubs and leagues. Whether you are a hard core runner, football player, soccer star or the next Babe Ruth - you will use the town's parks and recreation areas along side the casual walker, the parent teaching their child to swing a bat or an adult soccer team still trying to kick the soccer ball.

The Piscataway Recreation Department should be commended for the work they do to provide free and safe recreation to all the youth in Piscataway. Along with the recreation department, the hundreds of volunteers in town who give their time to coach or monitor the park facilities should be thanked. Without the volunteers, the recreation department could not provide all the services they do.

Improved parks, a state-of-the-art football field, free recreational sports, inclusion of all athletic abilities, and a wide variety of activities to choose from have improved over the past 8 years. They are the reason the panel for Sports Illustrated, were impressed enough to name Piscataway Sportstown U.S.A.

The Town Council and the Mayor pledge to continue improving the recreation programs and facilities for all the citizens of Piscataway. A town that provides recreation to all its citizens is a town that nurtures the lives of all who call Piscataway home.