Tennis courts and hockey rinks around Cherry Hill are expected to receive a facelift in the near future.
At last week’s meeting, council approved a contract with Nickolaus Construction in Vincentown to re-pave tennis courts and hockey rinks in the township over a three- to five-year period.
Township director of communications Bridget Palmer said they are taking care of one of the most common complaints the recreation department receives.
“This is one of the most heavily requested things we received in the recreation department,” she said.
The township’s contract with Nickolaus Construction is for $238,500. Palmer said a good portion will be paid for through community development grant money. The remaining cost will come from capital funds, though the township is hoping to receive grants to help pay for the project.
“We’re always pretty aggressive in looking for grants that can offset the cost,” Palmer said.
The re-paving project is expected to kick off in the next couple of weeks, with the projects completed prior to the summer. This spring, work is planned for the hockey rink and tennis courts at Carusi Middle School, the hockey rink at Erlton Park, the tennis courts at Kresson Woods, the tennis courts at Kilmer Elementary School and the tennis courts at Woodcrest Elementary School.
Included in these projects will be new motion sensor lighting, which will allow the township to keep the lights on year-round. The lighting work will be done in-hours, according to Palmer, helping to cut down on costs.
In other news:
• Council passed an ordinance on first reading that will increase recreation fees for the township’s summer camp.
Morning Fun is a camp program run by the township’s recreation department. According to the ordinance, the fee will be raised from $80 to $98. The change was made due to an increase in wages for the camp’s counselors.
“Part of the increase will offset the minimum wage increase,” Palmer said. “We felt like we wanted to increase our wage to help us maintain our counselors. We have a number of good camp counselors and we wanted to make sure we remain competitive.”
The fee for the first child per family is $98 and then goes down to $85 for an additional sibling. Another change is the cost of the camp t-shirt, which is now included in the regular fee.
This is the first time since 2009 the township has increased camp fees. Despite the changes, Palmer said the program’s fees are still reasonable in comparison with surrounding towns.
• Cherry Hill is holding an open house for its recreation department at Croft Farm on Thursday, March 20. The event will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Residents will be able to learn about the programs and classes the township offers. Demonstrations and activities will be part of the event.
The event is open to the public, but residents are asked to register beforehand by calling 488–7868 or emailing recreation@chtownship.com.
• The next Cherry Hill council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. at town hall.
