Council weighs possibilities for playgrounds

Playgrounds and more discussed at the most recent Monroe Township council meeting

Representatives from Monroe Township have found that the playgrounds in town are rundown and in need of repair.

Jim Bonder, the director of Parks and Recreation in Monroe Township, brought the state of the playgrounds to the attention of the council at its meeting on June 25.

“The common theme with all playgrounds is they’re in need of a maintenance program,” Bonder said. “Every playground needs to have a complete clearing of the weeds and grass that have grown under the play sets. This is going to require some time, I would estimate that it would take a minimum of two days per playground with at least three guys.”

Bonder also stressed every playground needs new mulch and he’s in the process of figuring out how many tons they would need.

One of the solutions that Bonder proposed is the downsizing of local playgrounds.

“I would estimate $10,000 in equipment repair,” he said. “That’s scaling things down and taking a few playsets away and only having a swingset or a sliding board.”

One of the issues involved with playgrounds is graffiti and vandalism. Bonder said every playground is in need of graffiti removal, even though the removal is futile as it gets put up as quickly as they take it down.

Council President Rich DiLucia has a simple solution in mind for the graffiti.

“The one thing I am adamant about is having security cameras,” DiLucia said. “In fact, if someone does it [vandalism or graffiti] and we identify who it is, we press charges. The days of allowing people to vandalize things are over.”

Councilman Cody Miller had a solution in mind, as well, for the downsizing. His thought is to have more passive activities such as a walking trail.

“It’s not a playground, per se, but it’s a version that won’t require as much maintenance,” Miller said.

The chair of the environmental commission, Sandy Keen, said the township could qualify for state funds.

“The state gives clean communities funds,” Keen said. “They can get $500 from the state. That won’t cost us, it’s all state money.”

The state of playgrounds in Monroe Township is something to keep an eye on as they can be in for an overhaul in the future.

In other news:

• There is an alleged illegal boarding house on Mills Lane. The case is under investigation by the Zoning and Community Development Department.
• The Williamstown community and Pfeiffer Center lost a member of their family earlier this month. Ervin Robinson, lovingly known as “Fig,” has passed. Councilman Bob Heffner and director of Parks and Recreation Jim Bonder spoke on his behalf.