The VECEF plans to turn a landfill into a park

Voorhees Environmental and Cultural Education Foundation (VECEF) is meeting with the Township Committee on Monday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. to discuss the plans for the Voorhees Environmental Park.

Intending to bring more environmental aspects into the community, VECEF was incorporated in 2005.

Collaborating with the Voorhees Township and the Rutgers Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability (CUES), the most recent project the VECEF is taking on is repurposing 37 acres of landfill on Centennial Boulevard.

After the project is completed, the landfill will turn into a place where residents can connect with nature, said VECEF President Helen Arvin.

The approval is just one of many steps the organization needs to take to make sure the project is done properly, said Arvin. Draft designs will be presented to the committee in the hopes that the first part of approvals is made.

Arvin, a resident of Voorhees for about 30 years, wants Voorhees residents to take part in the meeting and ask questions about the project.

“We want a place where people can relax and look at nature,” Arvin said.

According to Arvin, the VECEF is made up of local professional who are interested in giving back to the community, and bringing in the the students from Rutgers is “instrumental to [working] with the township.”

“We have a small board membership,” said Arvin. “I don’t do anything without working without our advisory committee.”

VECEF is inviting the community to take part in the presentation and pending approval of the design. Dr. Wolfram Hoefer, professor of landscape and design at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, is going to present the first draft design that was prepared by the students from the Rutgers Department of Landscape Architecture graduate program, according to a news release. The organization is also inviting the Voorhees Township Committee to approve the design.

The meeting will be held at Voorhees Town Hall, Monday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m.

For more information on VECEF visit www.vecef.org.