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Extreme makeover

By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Cherry Hill Sun

A joint fund-raising effort between the two largest government entities in the township will result in a vast improvement for Cherry Hill athletes. The Cherry Hill Board of Education and Cherry Hill Township recently teamed up to raise more than $50,000 in non-taxpayer funds to completely makeover one of the largest tennis court complexes in the township.

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According to the township, construction is set to begin after the Fourth of July holiday weekend and will hopefully be completed by August for the upcoming tennis season.

C.J. Davis, coordinator of student activities at Cherry Hill High School East, said the school has raised enough money to completely resurface the five tennis courts at the complex with a state-of-the-art new material. The 25-year-old court complex is heavily used throughout the year, not only by the varsity tennis teams, he said, but by the community as well.

“There are five courts in the complex, and they’re all open to the public. The courts at East are some of the most widely used all year. You go out there on a 40-degree day and someone is playing. In fact, with the exception of being used by the boys and girls tennis teams in the fall, Cherry Hill Rec uses them for their tennis programs,” Davis said. “That was the reasoning in doing this on the East courts because they’re so widely used by the community.”

The funding will go toward the resurfacing, painting, and some recognition pieces of generous donors, Davis said. Bricks engraved with donor names and some recognition pavers will dot the site after all the construction is completed.

One couple in the township provided the fund raiser with a $25,000 donation, Davis said, easily the biggest gift of the entire process. Todd and Wendy Silverberg donated the amount, he said. The couple has a daughter in the school district and a son who recently graduated as well.

With the $50,000 already collected, Davis said the fund-raising effort will continue and he hopes to be able to collect another $30,000 for a new fence to surround the facility.

“I’m very proud of my community. They really stepped up and did this,” he said. “I’m a lifelong Cherry Hill resident and to be honest I’m not a tennis player, but this was raised for our kids and the community really came through.”

Mayor Bernie Platt applauded the fund-raising efforts of both the district and the township, citing the improvements to the courts as a community-wide victory.

The construction will also be completed in-house, he said, which will save taxpayers upward of $150,000. In fact, several Public Works officials are being certified to do so by Premier Courts — the vendor awarded the materials contract.

“The district is still raising funds to improve the aesthetics of the courts, such as a planned wooden viewing stand, landscaping, and enhanced lighting, so we hope the Cherry Hill community continues to see the value in this recreational upgrade that will put the township on the map for offering residents the region’s premier world-class tennis facility,” Platt said. For more information or to have an order/donation form sent to you, call Davis at Cherry Hill High School East at 424–2222, ext. 2539; or email TennisFundraiser@CHCLC.org.

Donations can also be made online with a credit card at east.CherryHill.k12.nj.us. Click on the tennis fund raiser icon to donate.

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