The Camden County Freeholder Board has approved the recommendations of the Open Space Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Committee to award the 2016 Recreation Facility Enhancement Project Grants. The grants, totaling $750,000 this year, are funded through the Camden County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund, are presented to existing publicly owned recreation facilities planning to expand their utilization for recreational purposes.
“These grants are an opportunity to build and enhance our parks and playgrounds throughout the county. We know these passive and active recreational offerings make Camden County a special place to live and improve our overall quality of life,” said Freeholder Jeffery L. Nash, liaison to the Open Space Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Committee. “This year’s applications represented a wide range of projects throughout the county. We appreciate the hard work and planning that went into each request.”
Each year, municipal organizations are invited to submit an application detailing the enhancements planned for their existing recreation facilities for consideration by the advisory committee. The requests for funding are limited to $25,000 per project, per year. The projects must be completed within a one year period. The Camden County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund was created by the Freeholder Board in 1999 in response to overwhelming voter support of an open space referendum placed on the ballot in November 1998.
“We know that our community thrives and quality of life flourishes when we expand and enhance our parkland and recreational opportunities,” Nash said. “These are the things that make Camden County a great place to live, work and raise a family in and I’m looking forward to seeing many of these projects come to fruition for the respective towns.”
Voorhees Township will receive $25,000 for Kirkwood Park, Lake Villa, & Sandpiper playgrounds, $25,000 for Lake Villa playground and $25,000 for Lion’s Villa playground.
