EAST BRUNSWICK — The construction of a level playing field for special-needs children is getting under way now that the township has approved a contract with a builder.

The township awarded a $1.87 million bid to Green Construction earlier this month to build the athletic field at Heavenly Farms, Dunhams Corner Road.

“Construction should already have begun — the land was prepped well in advance,” Mayor David Stahl said. “I’m excited to get it moving. It’s about time.”

The project, which is intended for sports programs such as Buddy Ball, hasn’t always progressed so smoothly. In early 2008, Middlesex County pledged $1.5 million for the project, and officials believed that would be enough to cover all or most of the project costs. However, Stahl said the synthetic field, bathrooms and associated facilities would actually cost closer to $2.5 million, leaving the township with a $1 million shortfall. Due to a lack of funding and delays with the engineeringwork, some advocates of the playing field were not convinced that the project would ever be accomplished.

Stahl met with county officials in early January in an attempt to obtain funding for the project’s remaining balance of approximately $1 million. In late February, the Board of Chosen Freeholders approved an additional $500,000 in county funds designated for the new field and other improvements.

In early April, the Township Council passed a bond ordinance that would fund capital improvements including the playing field. Officials allotted over $2 million for the project, with the county scheduled to reimburse those funds. Stahl said that while the contract has come in under $2 million, there are other fees associated with engineering work that aren’t included in that cost.

“The $1.87 million is for the construction only. There was a lot of preliminary work with engineering the field,” he said.

However, Stahl said the township is saving over $150,000 by using in-house services for construction management, rather than hiring a private firm.

He also said that it would be unlikely that the township will need all of the $500,000 balance from the bond ordinance. However, any funds needed beyond what the county has already provided would have to be taxpayerfunded, he said.

Despite any past financial delays, the Heavenly Farms project is now rapidly progressing.

The facility’s site plan was finalized and approved by the Planning Board on May 26.

At the hearing, Township Engineer Gregory Potkulski said that the field, which will be constructed adjacent to the soccer fields at Heavenly Farms, is designed as a Little League fieldwith several flexible features, including a removable mound, portable netting and a 200-foot fence that could be adjusted for softball or baseball.

Eighteen new handicap-parking stalls will be installed directly west of the existing parking lot, which has 210 parking spaces, five of which are handicap.

Additionally, the concession area will feature two outside water fountains, accessible bathrooms, a front and side concession window and a covered porch, Potkulski said.

Stahl said he hopes the field will be operational in September, but that the concession stand and comfort area would most likely not be completed until October or November.

“We’re operating under a very tight timeframe, and there are always unforeseen circumstances. Sometimes things crop up that we don’t see ahead of time, so I don’t want to etch anything in stone,” he said, noting that portable bathroom facilities would be available while the comfort station is being constructed. “But I’m hoping for the best-case scenario.”