Howe Athletic Complex at Colonial Park Now Open

The Somerset County Park Commission, State and County officials, representatives from the Somerset County Park Commission, and members of Gymkhana Cricket Club, Somerset Cavaliers Cricket Club, and Dutch Total Soccer officially opened the Howe Athletic Complex at Colonial Park in Somerset, New Jersey.

The Howe Complex, off Colonial Drive at the northeastern corner of the park near Elizabeth Avenue, includes two adult soccer fields, three youth soccer fields, and a full sized cricket pitch.

“We have been waiting a long time for a pitch like this,” commented Aslam Khan of the Cavaliers. Added Rana Aftab of Gymkhana, “It’s a beautiful pitch, perfectly flat as it should be.”

“It’s a great location and a rare thing to have so many fields in the same place,” commented Jordi Meijer of Dutch Total Soccer. “We often find ourselves spread out at many school fields but here adult and children’s games can be played at the same time.”

The facility was constructed on the former homestead of Dr. Eugene and Lois Howe. The Howe’s placed the funds received from the sale of the property to the County in a trust account to be returned to the Somerset County Park Commission upon their passing. Mrs. Howe passed away in 1995 and Dr. Howe passed in 2008. A significant portion of the trust’s assets were used to construct the complex, a generous gift to the people of Somerset County.

Dr. Howe was well known in Franklin for volunteer work that included co-founding the Meadows Foundation that continues today to serve as stewards of early Dutch and American Heritage. His passion for reading, poetry and preservation drove him to also become a volunteer at the former Franklin Inn in East Millstone, a structure that also served as a used bookstore.

Dr. Howe was employed as a scientist and researcher at MERCK & Co. where he was awarded 18 patents for his work in isolating and synthesizing amino acids.

Reservations for use of the soccer fields and cricket pitch may be made by online at http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/applications/applications.pdf or by calling the Park Commission at 908-722-1200, ext. 225.