Between construction of the new town hall/library, sports field improvements, the planning stages taking form for the road construction program, and Percheron Park waiting to be built, there is a lot happening around the Moorestown community. Township manager Scott Carew said the cold weather has yet to slow progress.
According to Carew, the 46,000 square foot town hall/library project is moving forward. With the library’s parking lot blocked off, the township has received permits for the footings and foundation, Carew said.
Pennsauken-based Sambe Construction was awarded an $11.1 million contract on Nov. 1, which is $1.6 million under the anticipated project cost.
Medford-based Ragan Design Group planned the two-story structure to include space for the library, administrative offices and a place for township council meetings.
“[Sambe] will first complete site clearing, then their surveyor will lay out the building so they can start digging for footings and foundations,” Carew said, adding the company will clear tree stumps, asphalt and curbing.
In November, The Sun reported Ragan Design’s plans indicated the entrance of the complex will face Second Street while the administration building and library will be built on the Washington Street portion of the site. Existing entrances will remain on Third Street.
Landscaping and parking spaces make up the rest of the site’s plan, and the recreation center will remain in the same location.
Since the parking lot of the library is currently closed, Carew said the township has received a few complaints about the parking situation.
“Unfortunately, there is only so much we can do for our temporary parking situation without adding extraordinary cost and time to the project,” he said.
The municipal lot on Second Street will continue to be the parking lot for the library’s visitors. The library will remain open during construction.
Greyhawk — Moorestown’s construction management and consulting firm — indicated on their timeline that the library will relocate once the project is completed in March 2014.
While a new town hall and library are being built, the recreation center will remain waiting on improvements.
According to the project architect for Ragan Design Dan Nichols, the company is currently preparing the drawings for the renovations to the Moorestown Recreation Center.
“We expect to have completed architectural and engineering documentation ready for public bid next month,” he said in an email.
The plan’s improvements include a new gym floor to “replace the 73-year-old existing floor,” new volleyball equipment, new recreation department offices on the second floor, new LED lighting in the gym and more, Nichols said.
“Work will begin in the spring of 2013 and be completed by fall 2013, in time for basketball season,” Nichols said, adding the recreation director has advised Ragan Design the use of the building will be limited during construction.
“The building will be closed entirely during July and August,” he said.
Carew said the police department sub-station would be placed on the third floor of the recreation center.
As for the field projects, recreational fields in Moorestown are in the process of makeovers. Wesley Bishop North Field — a $1.4 million project — includes turf improvements, improvements to the parking lot and grating work. The Wesley Bishop South Field project was estimated to cost approximately $413,420 for turf improvements and an irrigation system. While new lighting at Jeff Young costs $475,000, and artificial turf, new lighting and drainage improvements at Pryor Park cost approximately $415,000.
A few minor changes were made to the plans at Wesley Bishop Field North.
In November, Carew said, in the original plan, a black cinderblock wall with the Moorestown logo was expected to stay.
Sports teams, such as lacrosse and soccer, use the wall for practice.
When the plans were adjusted, the wall was eliminated.
Carew suggested a new wall be built for players to continue to use for practice. During that time, Carew said the wall would cost approximately $27,000, unless council is able to find a cheaper alternative, he said.
The wall will also help bring sponsorships into town, and interested sponsors will most likely pay for the wall’s construction.
The north field’s improvements are expected to be finished on time in March.
Non-recreational parks will also form in Moorestown. Although no building activity can currently be spotted at the future site of Percheron Park, on the corner of Main and High Street, Friends of the Percheron Park — a pending 501©3 certified organization — is in the process of raising funds for the project.
The organization presented the idea in 2011 to honor Edward Harris Jr. — a former resident of the Smith-Cadbury Mansion who imported and bread the Percheron horses with working horses in the U.S.
The “pocket park” will include vegetation, landscaping, as well as a hardscape and benches. A life-sized bronze statue of Harris’ Percheron horse will be raised in the middle of the park with horse imprints leading to the Smith-Cadbury Mansion.
Construction for the park was estimated to cost approximately $200,000.
The organization is selling Percheron horse magnets for $10 and has various donation opportunities listed on the website. For more information, visit www.percheronpark.org.
Carew said all of the construction around Moorestown would turn into a valuable asset to the community when completed.
“All of the development in town — both public and private — is very exciting. Once completed, it will improve both the quality of life for Moorestown residents and raise the value of what is already the most valuable residential property in South Jersey,” Carew said.
