Recreation grants to improve township parks

At the Township Committee meeting Monday, Nov. 19, three recreation grants were inserted to the budget to go towards multiple projects

At last Monday’s Voorhees Township Committee meeting, members approved the insertion of three $25,000 grants into the budget, received earlier this month, through the 2018 Recreation Facility Enhancement Project Grants.

“These grants are an opportunity to build and enhance our parks and playgrounds throughout the county. We know these passive and active recreational offerings make Camden County a special place to live and improve our overall quality of life,” said Freeholder Jeffery L. Nash, liaison to the Open Space Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Committee. “This year’s applications represented a wide range of projects throughout the county. We appreciate the hard work and planning that went into each request.”

The three grants for Voorhees Township, according to Deputy Mayor Jason Ravitz, had three specific intentions that will be worked on in the near future.

One grant is designated for Round Hill Road Park to resurface the tennis court, while another is for Kirkwood Park to replace and fix nearly the entire playground area.

The third grant is for miscellaneous, smaller projects split between Lion’s Lake Park and Ashland Woods Hale Park. These improvements are expected to go toward fixing the appearance and general equipment of the parks, such as walkways, benches and equipment, if necessary.

Ravitz is thankful for the support from Camden County over the past few years in continuing to offer safe and fun parks for residents by constantly keeping them up to date.

“We definitely do well with these grants over the past couple years,” said Ravitz. “And it’s all thanks to our administrators.”

The projects for the grants are to be completed within one year. Currently there is no timetable for when the improvements with the park projects will take place, however Ravitz says the township would like to implement the fixes “as soon as possible,” which is “dependent on the type of weather we have.”

Mayor Michael Mignogna also spoke about the township receiving the grants, stating the grants help save taxpayer dollars while improving the community for kids at the same time.

“We’re always looking to make our playgrounds as safe as possible and continue to be fun for the kids,” Mignogna said. “Our administrators do a great job of seeking grants for the kids. We have several playgrounds in town and we always make sure they’re safe as well.”